Comments for the name Deirdre

I was able to locate a professor at a Valdosta State University who speaks Gaelic fluently and has studied the orgin of Gaelic words for over 10 years. According to her and her academic contacts and sources, the meaning of the name is no mystery at all. It means Mysterious and Sorrowful. I also cross-checked the name in a number of origin books on the subject and found them to be correct.

Deirdre is also known as 'Deirdre Of The Sorrows'.

It's pronounced "DEER-dra" and is a word for "woman" or "sorrow", from Irish mythology.

Pronounced DE-a-Dra.

Means "sorrow" or "dear little wanderer".

It always makes me think of Andrew's girlfriend from 'I Hate Hamlet' (a book).

I've NEVER heard it to be pronounced "DEER-dree" (makes me think of one of a Christmas elf or stereotypical dwarf), always "DER-dre" (which I personally prefer) or "DEER-dre". I also have always thought the name itself to mean "sorrows", or "lady of sorrows." Regardless, it's one of my favorite names, and a beautiful sounding one as well (as long as it isn't "DEER-dree").

The original pronunciation would be closer to "DER-dra", which I prefer; "DEER-dree", "DEED-ra", and "DEER-dra" throws it away.

Seeing that on slender vowels ("e" and "i"), the "d" takes on the sound of the English "j" (in Scots Gaelic and in some Irish dialects), it could even be pronouned "JER-jra" or thereabouts.

To start with, the name Deirdre can be pronounced in different ways, it can be DEER-dra or De-a-dra or how ever you pronounce it, it all depends on the person who has the name, and also Deirdre means "sorrowful" not anything else.

It most likely does NOT mean sorrowful. This meaning is a conotation attached to it by the story. The name is very, very old and the origin is really quite unknown.

Really sorry to all people who have this name but I don't like it, I'm not sure why.

Well, I've only heard it pronounced 'Deer-dree.' Ah well, they all sound awful.

I don't like the spelling or pronunciation of this name at all. I like the name Deidra better. It's easier to pronounce and sounds more feminine to me.

I've only heard it pronounced DEER-dree.
For some reason I have always a fondness for this name. I just really really like it.

Deer-dree in my experience is the anglicised pronunciation. It is most definitely not meant to be pronounced Deer-dree and nothing annoys me more. Deer-dra is how I usually hear it pronounced.

This name is okay I guess, but it has a horrible pronunciation.

If you were writing a children's story and had to use this name, tell me you would use it for the main character and not the snotty rich girl. That's just my opinion though, and the pronunciation DER-DRE makes it even worse. I much prefer DEER-DRE.

Deirdre means "she who causes sorrow and pain" in Gaelic.

My father, who was born and raised in Tipperary, pronounces it Deerdree but he is very much in the minority in Ireland. That's actually one of the reasons why I'm not called it (at least, according to my mother)

Derdriu is a very old spelling on the name Deirdre.

The name is plain ugly, no matter how you pronounce it. As someone who loves the name Phaedra, I probably shouldn't call the name flat out pretentious, but I can't figure out what else could lead to people using this name than some sort of pretentiousness.

It sounds sad and emotional as a given name. You need something uplifting like Jo or Barbara.

I can't see why anyone would consider this name pretentious. It's really rather plain and boring. Kind of dowdy. It's not extravagant in any way.

A classy name. It brings to mind an elegant, soft-spoken, yet strong woman of virtuous character.

Yuck. When I was little, I never knew how to pronounce this name, so I asked my mother, and she said she didn't know either. She said, "Maybe derriere?" And you have to admit, it does look fighteningly similar.

This has to be the worst girl's name out there. First of all, the meaning, "to cause sorrow and pain" is horrible. How would you like your name to mean that? Secondly, it's bland, boring, and sounds absolutely terrible when pronounced.

I know a wonderful woman with this name. (By the way, she pronounces it DEER-dra.) It's a pretty, classic name.

Deirdre Mayfair is an important character (not main, just important) character in 'The Witching Hour' by Anne Rice.

My name's Deirdre, and I'm half-Irish living in Ireland for most of my life. It is speculated that the name means "sorrow", but only because it's associated with the Legend. No one actually knows the true meaning of it. I love my name because it is a pure Celtic name. Although most people misspell it. :)

My name is Deirdre. It is a beautiful and unique name. I would pronounce it DE-AIR-DRA or DEAR-DRA. My mom first heard the name by the actor ERROL FLYNN who named his daughter, Deirdre. I have heard that in addition to it meaning sorrow. I heard that it also means "raging". What ever the meaning the women who first bore the name was stunning and beautiful. I would hate to have been named after someone who was ugly inside or out!

In grade school, I knew a Hispanic girl with this name, but she pronounced her name deer-dray. (I don't think that the last 'e' of her name actually had an accent, but her family's, and her, natural accent influenced the pronunciation of her name.) I thought it was quite pretty--and for many years, whenever I saw the name, I thought it was always pronounced deer-dray. Then I watched the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and there was a character near the end named Deirdre, who pronounced it deer-dree. I figured that was just how it was said in England. And then I heard my friend (who is *very* Irish, she even has family there) call her cat deer-druh, and I was like, "What?" I hadn't even known the name had Irish origins, or that that was the original pronunciation. :-)
Over time, the pronunciation deer-druh became much more natural, and I think it's quite pretty. I'm still not a fan of deer-dree. But. Deer-dray, the Hispanic pronunciation, is still my favorite. And even though I'm not Hispanic, if I were to ever use the name Deirdre on a daughter, I would probably say deer-dray. Who knows, I might even stick an accent on the last 'e' to make it Deirdré, and that way there would be no confusion as to how to say her name. :-)

Dreadful Deirdre.

Thats what I think of when I hear or see this name. I think of old nannas knitting socks.

Most folks of Irish descent around here (New England, USA) prounounce it Dare-dra. People usually tell me they love the name - I do if it is pronounced correctly :-). Family in Ireland pronounce it Deerdree, but I prefer Dare-dra. Some people tell me it is French or German! The common nickname for Deirdre is Didi or Deedee, but I left that behind long ago. Enjoy your name however you want to pronounce it!

I was nearly named this by my parents, and am mostly glad I wasn't. It has that rough, old-lady sound to it, but then again it sounds kind of spunky. I'd definitely prefer it over their final choice.

My name is Deirdre and I'm from Ireland - the home of this name. Here it is pronounced DEER-dra. If there is a fada on the first e (Déirdre) it is pronounced DARE-dra. The only time I've heard it pronounced DEER-dree is when referring to your one off Coronation Street and my English next door neighbour so I assume that's some English variant. I have never heard an Irish person pronounce it that way. It is a pretty popular name here and there's a lot of girls my age with that name. In fact I have three friends also called Deirdre. Three of us pronounce it DEER-dra and one DARE-dra. I love my name - much more character and history than the Jordans/Ashleighs/Chloes/Chardonnays of today!

Deirdre is Nancy Drew's rival in the new books.