Gender Feminine
Pronounced Pron. GRA-nyə(Irish)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Possibly derived from Old Irish grán meaning "grain" or gráin meaning "hatred, fear". In the Irish legend The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne she escaped from her arranged marriage to Fionn mac Cumhaill by fleeing with her lover Diarmaid. Another famous bearer was the powerful 16th-century Irish landowner and seafarer Gráinne Ní Mháille (known in English as Grace O'Malley), who was sometimes portrayed as a pirate queen in later tales.

Related Names

VariantsGrania, Granya(Irish)

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   complex   serious  

Categories

Sources & References

  1. O'Brien, Kathleen M. Index of Names in Irish Annals, available from https://medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/Feminine/Grainne.shtml.
Entry updated June 9, 2023