Browse Names - Behind the Name

Alannah f Irish, English (Modern)
Variant of Alana. It has been influenced by the affectionate Anglo-Irish word alannah, from the Irish Gaelic phrase a leanbh meaning "O child".

Brigid f Irish, Irish Mythology
Irish variant of Brighid (see Bridget).

Caitlin f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Caitlín.

Cathleen f Irish, English
Variant of Kathleen.

Deirdre f English, Irish, Irish Mythology
From the Old Irish name Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from der meaning "daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after Conchobar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover Naoise.... [more]

Elva 1 f Irish
Anglicized form of Ailbhe.

Ena 1 f Irish
Anglicized form of Eithne.

Honora f Irish, English
Variant of Honoria. It was brought to England and Ireland by the Normans.

Kathleen f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Caitlín.

Maura 2 f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Máire. It has also been associated with Irish mór meaning "great". This was the name of an obscure 5th-century Irish martyr.

Maureen f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Máirín.

Moira f Irish, Scottish, English
Anglicized form of Máire. It also coincides with Greek Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek mythology.

Mona 1 f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Muadhnait. It is also associated with Greek monos "one" and Leonardo da Vinci's painting the Mona Lisa (in which case it is a contraction of Italian ma donna meaning "my lady").

Muriel f English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Irish Muirgel and Scottish Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).

Myrna f Irish (Rare), English
Anglicized form of Muirne. The popularity of this name spiked in the United States in the 1930s due to the fame of the actress Myrna Loy (1905-1993).

Noreen f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Nóirín.

Shea m & f Irish
Anglicized form of Séaghdha, sometimes used as a feminine name.

Sheila f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Síle.

Siobhán f Irish
Irish form of Jehanne, a Norman French variant of Jeanne.

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