moosetex's Personal Name List

From Old Irish Affraic, possibly from Afraicc, the Old Irish name of the continent of Africa (see Africa 1) [1]. Alternatively, it could be from *Aithbrecc, an unattested earlier form of Aithbhreac [2]. This was the name of two abbesses of Kildare in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was also borne by a 12th-century daughter of the king of the Isle of Mann who married the Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy.

Means "elf" in Irish. This name was borne by several early Irish kings. It also occurs frequently in Irish legend, borne for example by the husband of Queen Medb. It was also the name of two saints, both bishops of Armagh in the 6th century.

Means "radiance, brilliance" in Irish. This was the name of a goddess of love and fertility in Irish legend, thought to dwell at the hill of Cnoc Áine in Limerick. It has sometimes been Anglicized as Anne.

Feminine form of Alastar.

Diminutive of Aodh (actually double diminutive).

Means "high valour", derived from the Old Irish elements ard "high" and gal "valour".

Anglicized form of Barra.

Modern Irish form of Berach.

Means "white woman", from Old Irish bé "woman" and finn "white, blessed". This name was borne by several characters in Irish mythology, including the mother of the hero Fráech.

Anglicized form of Bríd.

From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Braonáin) that was derived from the byname Braonán, itself from Irish braon meaning "rain, moisture, drop" combined with a diminutive suffix. As a given name, it has been used since the 1960s as an alternative to Brendan or Brandon, though it has not been as popular as them.

Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.

Modern Irish form of Brighid.

From Old Irish bríg meaning "might, power". This was the name of a daughter of the Irish god Dagda.

From the Old Irish name Broccán, derived from bróc "shoe, sandal, greave" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several Irish saints, including Saint Patrick's scribe.

Derived from the Old Irish elements cáel "slender" and finn "white, blessed". This was the name of several Irish saints.

Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".

Either from the name of the Irish county, which is derived from Irish cabhán "hollow", or else from the Irish surname Cavan.

Means "fair-haired", from Old Irish ciab "locks, hair" and finn "white, blessed". In Irish legend this was the name of one of the three daughters of Bec mac Buain [1][2].

Means "ancient, enduring" in Irish. In Irish mythology this was the name of the father of Lugh Lámfada. It was also borne by the mythical ancestor of the Ciannachta and by a son-in-law of Brian Boru.

Derived from Irish ciar meaning "black". In Irish legend Ciar was a son of Fergus mac Róich and Medb, and the ancestor of the tribe of the Ciarraige (after whom County Kerry is named). As a feminine name, it was borne by an Irish nun (also called Ciara) who established a monastery in Tipperary in the 7th century.

Diminutive of Ciar. This was the name of two 6th-century Irish saints: Ciarán the Elder, the founder of the monastery at Saighir, and Ciarán the Younger, the founder of the monastery at Clonmacnoise.

Irish byname derived from ciar meaning "black".

Probably from Old Irish cell meaning "church" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint who evangelized in Franconia. He was martyred in Würzburg.

Variant of Colum.

Means "born together" from Old Irish com "with, together" and gan "born". Saint Comgán was the founder of a monastery at Killeshin in the 6th or 7th century.

Means "rule of a wolf", from Old Irish cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive con) and fal "rule" [2]. This is the name of several characters in Irish legend including the hero Conall Cernach ("Conall of the victories"), a member of the Red Branch of Ulster, who avenged Cúchulainn's death by killing Lugaid.

Anglicized form of the Old Irish name Conláed, possibly meaning "constant fire" from cunnail "prudent, constant" and áed "fire". Saint Conláed was a 5th-century bishop of Kildare.

Perhaps from Old Irish conn meaning "sense, reason" or cenn meaning "head, chief". This was the name of a legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.

Anglicized form of Conchobar (or the Modern Irish form Conchúr).

Means "king of hounds" in Irish.

Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Old Irish cú meaning "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 8th-century saint.

Anglicized form of Irish Deaglán, Old Irish Declán, which is of unknown meaning. Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to the Déisi peoples of Ireland and the founder of the monastery at Ardmore.

In America, this name received boosts in popularity from main characters in the movies The Jackal (1997) and Leap Year (2010).

Anglicized form of Diarmaid.

From an Irish surname that was an Anglicized form of Ó hEidirsceóil meaning "descendant of the messenger".

Modern Irish form of Étan.

Variant of Éamonn.

Anglicized form of Aoibheann.

Possibly from Old Irish etne meaning "kernel, grain". In Irish mythology Eithne or Ethniu was a Fomorian and the mother of Lugh Lámfada. It was borne by several other legendary and historical figures, including a few early saints.

From an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Emma.

Old Irish form of Eoghan.

Possibly means "born from the yew tree", from Old Irish eó "yew" and the suffix gan "born". Alternatively, it might be derived from the Latin name Eugenius. It was borne by several legendary or semi-legendary Irish figures, including a son of the king Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Means "little wolf", derived from Old Irish fáel "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish saint who did missionary work in Scotland.

Modern Irish Gaelic form of Fergal.

Variant of Fedelm.

Old Irish form of Fionn, as well as the usual Anglicized spelling (with the Irish hero's name Anglicized as Finn McCool). As a surname it is borne by Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's novels.

Older form of Fionnán.

Old Irish form of Finbar.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnagáin, itself derived from the given name Fionnagán, a diminutive of Fionn. This is the surname of a relatively minor character in James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake (1939), the title of which was based on a 19th-century Irish ballad called Finnegan's Wake.

Derived from Irish fíon meaning "wine".

Modern Irish Gaelic form of Fintan.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Flannghaile, derived from the given name Flannghal meaning "red valour". A famous bearer was American author Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964).

From Old Irish Garbán meaning "little rough one", derived from garb "rough" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint.

From an Irish surname, itself derived from the byname Gráda meaning "noble, illustrious".

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.

Irish form of Gregory.

From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.

Possibly from Old Irish líath meaning "grey". According to an Irish tale this was the name of a poet who became a nun, but then missed her lover Cuirithir so much that she died of grief. The name was also borne by a 5th-century saint, the mother of Saint Ciarán the Elder.

Irish short form of William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).

Means "calf herder", derived from Old Irish lóeg "calf". In Irish legend Lóegaire Búadach was an Ulster warrior. He saved the life of the poet Áed, but died in the process. This was also the name of several Irish high kings.

Old Irish form of Lorcán.

Irish form of Molly.

Modern Irish form of Mathgamain.

Variant of Morrígan.

Means "little noble one", derived from the Old Irish poetic word muad meaning "noble, good" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 6th-century saint, a sister of Saint Mo Laisse.

Means "mariner" in Irish. This was the name of a 6th-century Irish high king.

Anglicized form of Muireadhach.

From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Murchadha, itself derived from the given name Murchadh. As a given name, it has been borne by female characters on the American television series Murphy Brown (1988-1998) and the movie Interstellar (2014).

Anglicized form of Muirchertach.

Short form of Fionnuala.

Anglicized form of Eoghan.

Irish form of Patrick.

From the Latin name Patricius, which meant "nobleman". This name was adopted in the 5th-century by Saint Patrick, whose birth name was Sucat. He was a Romanized Briton who was captured and enslaved in his youth by Irish raiders. After six years of servitude he escaped home, but he eventually became a bishop and went back to Ireland as a missionary. He is traditionally credited with Christianizing the island, and is regarded as Ireland's patron saint. He is called Pádraig in Irish.

In England and elsewhere in Europe during the Middle Ages this name was used in honour of the saint. However, it was not generally given in Ireland before the 17th century because it was considered too sacred for everyday use. It has since become very common there.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Cuinn, itself derived from the given name Conn. In the United States it was more common as a name for boys until 2010, the year after the female character Quinn Fabray began appearing on the television series Glee.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).

From Old Irish Rúadán, derived from rúad "red" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of the founder of the monastery of Lorrha in the 6th century.

From Old Irish Ruaidrí meaning "red king", from rúad "red" combined with rí "king". This was the name of the last high king of Ireland, reigning in the 12th century.

From Old Irish Ruarcc. It was possibly an early borrowing from the Old Norse name Hrǿríkr. Alternatively it might be derived from Old Irish elements such as rúad "red" and arg "hero, champion". This was the name of a 9th-century king of Leinster.

From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Riain. This patronymic derives from the given name Rian, which is of uncertain meaning. It is traditionally said to mean "little king", from Irish rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.

In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity through the 1950s and 60s. It shot up the charts after the release of the 1970 movie Ryan's Daughter. Within a few years it was in the top 20 names, where it would stay for over three decades. Famous bearers include the Canadian actors Ryan Reynolds (1976-) and Ryan Gosling (1980-).

Probably derived from the old Celtic root *swādu- meaning "sweet" [2]. This was a common name in medieval Ireland. In Irish mythology Sadb was a woman transformed into a deer. She was the mother of Oisín by Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Means "freedom" in Irish Gaelic. It was first used as a given name in the 20th century.

Irish form of James.

Means "elf, sprite" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.

From Old Irish síd meaning "peace" or "fairy mound, tumulus" and maith meaning "good".

Old Irish form of Tadhg.

Anglicized form of the Old Irish name Taileflaith, Tuileflaith or Tuilelaith, probably from tuile "abundance" and flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of an early saint, an abbess of Kildare.

Anglicized form of Tadhg. This name is also used as a slang term for an Irish Catholic.

Modern Irish form of Tighearnán.

Meaning unknown. It has been suggested that it is of Irish origin, though no suitable derivation can be found.