Message: "Re: Meaning of name "Ciarda"???"

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Re: Meaning of name "Ciarda"???

by Romy (peacebethejourney)

11/7/2007, 7:20 AM

There's the surname Ó Ciardha (meaning "from Ciardha" or "descendent of Ciardha"), which can be anglicised to Carey, Keary or Kerry. Under the description of Carey, this site says Ciardha means "dark". I've never seen it used as a first name in Ireland but as there is a surname based on it, I would say it's almost certainly a male name.

In old Irish, Ciardha would have been written Ciarda with a dot (buailte) over the d in place of the h.

This message was edited 11/7/2007, 7:20 AM

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- Lumia +2

11/7/2007, 8:35 AM

In Ireland, there are several girls named Ciarda:

Ciarda Tobin (theather director from Limerick)
http://www.roscommonpeople.ie/itemdetail.asp?itemID=1249

Ciarda O'Connell (from University of Limerick)
http://www.csn.ul.ie/~basketball/99_00_team_details.htm

Ciarda Maher (from Ballina, Co Mayo)
www.communitygames.ie/site/area/munster/story.jsp?c=1&id=249&type=tipperary

Ciarda Supple (from Athboy, Co Meath)
http://www.kerryman.ie/local-notes/countywide-1207819.html

And not a single example of use of Ciarda in Ireland in masculine nowadays.

This message was edited 11/7/2007, 8:35 AM

- Romy (peacebethejourney) +1

11/7/2007, 9:53 AM

Yeah, my guess is that is more to do with the fact that Ciarda looks/sounds more like a female name nowadays. It could be also that the parents wanted an Irish version of the female name Kerry and found Ciarda.

Historically though, I think it is 100% male. I don't know of any Irish surnames that feature female names in that way.

- Lumia

11/7/2007, 10:14 AM

I agree

All those Ciardas are more or less young and the only records of historical use of Ciarda are as surname (for example in the case of Padraic O Ciarda, from Tg4), which suggest an original masculine name.

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