These
names are used by Celtic peoples.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Berchan m Irish, FilipinoA well-known saint of the early Irish church was named Berchan the Prophet of Clonsast in King's Co., but often called Brachan by Metathesis. Often used as a surname.
Bethóc f Scottish Gaelic, Medieval ScottishDerived from Scottish Gaelic
beatha meaning "life", and therefore is related to the name
Beathag. Most known bearers of this name include Bethóc Ingen mac Maíl Coluim, daughter of Malcolm II, King of Alba, as well as Bethóc, Prioress of Iona, daughter of Somerled, Lord of Argyll.
Beuno m WelshProbably from Welsh
bu "cow" and
-no "knowing". The name of a 7th-century Welsh saint.
Blaa f ManxDerived from Manx
blaa "bloom, flower" (but also "pride, heyday"), this name has been occasionally used as an equivalent of
Flora.
Bleiz m BretonDerived from Breton
bleiz "wolf; gray" and thus nowadays commonly considered the Breton equivalent of French
Loup, this name was in former times also used as a phonetic approximation to
Blois and given in honor of the Blessed Charles of Blois, Duke of Brittany.... [
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Bleuzenn f BretonOf uncertain origin and meaning. Some academics consider Bleuzenn a Breton cognate of either Welsh
Blodeuyn or Welsh
Blodwen while others consider this name a derivation from Middle Breton
bleuzuenn "flower"... [
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Braddan m ManxOf debated origin and meaning. While some scholars consider this name a Manx form of
Brendan, others derive it from Manx
braddan "salmon" (ultimately via Irish
bradán).
Breacán m IrishDerived from Gaelic
breac "speckled, spotted" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint who was famous as a healer.
Breifne m IrishLikely derived from
Bréifne (also
Bréfne), the name of a medieval Irish kingdom. The meaning of its name is uncertain, as it is disputed amongst scholars. Some derive the name from Old Irish
brí meaning "hill", whilst others state that it is derived from the feminine given name
Bréfne.
Breok m CornishCornish form of
Brioc. This name was borne by a Welsh saint who is commemorated in St. Breock.
Breval m BretonDerived from the place name
Bréval, ubicated in north-central France. Recorded as other forms, ultimately comes from the Germanic name
Berher and French
val "valley", albeit the first element was later reinterpreted as
bref "small".
Briac m French, BretonFrom a Brythonic name derived from the Celtic element *
brigo "high, noble, mighty". As such this name can be viewed as a Breton cognate of
Brian. In the case of Saint Briac, who arrived in Brittany with Saint Tugdual circa 548, this was a short form of the old Welsh name
Briafael.
Briege f Irish, Northern IrishAnglicized form of
Bríd. A known bearer is Briege McKenna (1946-), a Catholic nun and faith healer from Northern Ireland.
Briocán m IrishMeaning unknown, perhaps related to
Bhreacain (see
Brecan). This was the name of a saint from the 5th century AD, who brought christianity to the village Rosmuck in Ireland.
Briog m Breton, Welsh, History (Ecclesiastical)Derived from Breton and Middle Welsh
bri, ultimately from Proto-Celtic
*brigo "high, noble" or
*brīgos "importance". Briog (died c. 502) was a 5th-century Welsh holy man who became the first abbot of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany... [
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Brochwel m WelshFrom the old Welsh name
Brochfael, in which the second element is
mael "prince". This was the name of a legendary Welsh king who gave land to Saint
Melangell.
Bryher f English (British, Rare), CornishFrom the name of an island off the southwestern coast of Cornwall, one of the Isles of Scilly. This was adopted as a pen name by the English novelist Annie Winifred Ellerman (1894-1983).
Bryluen f Cornish (Modern)Derived from from Old Cornish
breilu "rose" (vocative) combined with the singulative suffix
en. This is a modern Cornish name.
Buddug f WelshDerived from Welsh
budd "profit, advantage". It is a cognate of
Boudicca, the name of a 1st-century queen of the Iceni (a Celtic people) who is known as Buddug in Welsh, and is sometimes considered a Welsh equivalent of
Victoria.
Cadan m Cornish, WelshDerived from Welsh and Cornish
cad "battle" and possibly Welsh
man "place" or Welsh
nant "brook, stream". This is also the name of a river in Dyfed, Wales.
Cadewyn m WelshPossibly 'white warrior' or 'pure warrior'. In Welsh cade can be interpreted as warring, and wyn as white or fair
Cadno m Welsh, Old WelshDerived from Welsh
cat "battle" and
-no "knowing". The modern Welsh word
cadno, "fox", likely stems from the given name, similar to French
Renard.
Cador m Arthurian Romance, CornishProbably a form of
Cadeyrn, perhaps derived from its Cornish cognate. In Arthurian romance this was the name of Guinevere's guardian. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, Cador was a ruler of Cornwall and the father of Constantine, King Arthur's successor.... [
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Caela f IrishFeminine variant of
Caelan, ultimately from Irish
caol meaning "slender".
Caílte m Irish, Irish MythologyOlder form of
Caoilte, possibly derived from Irish
caol meaning "slender". In Irish legend Caílte was a warrior of the Fianna and their foremost poet... [
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Cain f WelshMeans "beautiful, fair" in Welsh. This was the name of a 5th-century saint.
Caio m WelshDiminutive of
Cai 2. The name coincides with
Caio or
Caeo, the name of a village in the county of Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales.
Caiseal m & f Irish (Modern), English (Modern)From Irish
caiseal meaning "great stone fort" or "castle". A notable bearer of the name is the Australian Sci-Fi and fantasy novelist, artist and musician
Caiseal Mór. This is a modern Irish word name and not commonly used in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Caislín f Irish (Modern), English (Modern)Supposed to mean "little castle" from Irish
caiseal meaning "castle" combined with the Irish diminutive of
ín. It also coincides with the rare Irish word
caislín meaning "chat" (a type of bird)... [
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Calam m Irish, EnglishMeaning uncertain. Among anglophone bearers from outside Ireland, there might possibly be cases where the name is derived from the surname
Calam, which is ultimately of Scottish origin.... [
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Callychrowney f Manx (Archaic)Derived from Manx
caillagh, a cognate of Old Irish
caillech "veiled one; (and by extension) nun; female servant" (ultimately from Old Irish
caille "veil") and Irish
Cróine with the intended meaning of "servant of Saint
Cróine", an obscure female saint (since the names of saints were considered too holy for everyday use, they were usually prefixed until the 17th century).
Callyvorry f Manx (Archaic)Derived from Manx
caillagh, a cognate of Old Irish
caillech "veiled one; (and by extension) nun; female servant" (ultimately from Old Irish
caille "veil") and the given name
Moirrey with the intended meaning of "servant of the Virgin
Mary" (since the names of saints were considered too holy for everyday use, they were usually prefixed until the 17th century).
Calybrid f Manx (Archaic)Derived from Manx
caillagh, a cognate of Old Irish
caillech "veiled one; (and by extension) nun; female servant" (ultimately from Old Irish
caille "veil") and the given name
Bridey with the intended meaning of "servant of Saint
Bridget" (since the names of saints were considered too holy for everyday use, they were usually prefixed until the 17th century).
Calycrist f Manx (Archaic)Derived from Manx
caillagh, a cognate of Old Irish
caillech "veiled one; (and by extension) nun; female servant" (ultimately from Old Irish
caille "veil") and Manx
Creest "Christ" with the intended meaning of "servant of Christ" (since the names of saints were considered too holy for everyday use, they were usually prefixed until the 17th century).
Calyhony f Manx (Archaic)Derived from Manx
caillagh, a cognate of Old Irish
caillech "veiled one; (and by extension) nun; female servant" (ultimately from Old Irish
caille "veil") and Manx
doonagh "church" with the intended meaning of "servant of the Church" or "servant of the Lord".
Calypatric f Manx (Archaic)Derived from Manx
caillagh, a cognate of Old Irish
caillech "veiled one; (and by extension) nun; female servant" (ultimately from Old Irish
caille "veil") and the given name
Patric with the intended meaning of "servant of Saint
Patrick" (since the names of saints were considered too holy for everyday use, they were usually prefixed until the 17th century).
Caoladhe f & m IrishDerived from from the Gaelic word
caol meaning "slender".
Carenza f CornishVariant of
Kerensa, which has been 'used since the early 1970s, but more often in its variant form
Karenza' (Dunkling, 1983). However, the name also occurs in medieval France; it belonged to a woman who composed the last two stanzas of an Occitan poem that begins
Na Carenza al bel cors avinen, meaning "Lady Carenza of the lovely, gracious body".
Cariad f WelshDirectly taken from Welsh
cariad "love, affection; darling, sweetheart". This name is borne by British comedian Cariad Lloyd.
Casworon m CornishLikely derived from Celtic
cad "battle" and
kawaro "hero."
Céadaoin f IrishDirectly taken from Irish
céadaoin meaning "wednesday", ultimately from old Irish
céad meaning "first" and
aoine meaning "fast".
Ceallan m Scottish, IrishFound in Irish History and is a modern place name in Scotland. Possibly related to the Gaelic name
Ceallach. Wanted to name my son Kelly (Wife thought it was a girls name) and came across this place name in Scotland... [
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Cedny f & m WelshCedny means “a group of foxes” in welsh.
Ceindeg f WelshDerived from Welsh
cein, the penult form of
cain, "fair, fine; elegant" and
teg "beautiful, fair, fine".
Ceinwedd f WelshDerived from Welsh
cein, the penult form of
cain, "fair, fine; elegant" and
gwedd "appearance; aspect; view".
Ceola f Irish (Modern)This is a modern Irish name, directly taken from Irish
ceol meaning "music, singing".
Cessair f Irish, Irish MythologyAllegedly means "affliction, sorrow". According to Irish legend Cessair was a granddaughter of Noah who died in the great flood. The name also belonged to a Gaulish princess who married the Irish high king Úgaine Mór in the 5th or 6th century BC.
Ciaron m Irish (Rare)The name "Ciaron" is a variant of the Irish name "Ciarán," which is derived from the Gaelic word "ciar," meaning "black" or "dark," and the diminutive suffix "-án," which implies smallness or endearment... [
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Ciarraighe m & f IrishOriginal Irish from of
Kerry/
Kerri. Denoted the people of Ciar (ciar-raighe), Ciar being the son of Fergus mac Róich, who gave his name to County Kerry... [
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Cluanach m IrishDerived from
clauna "deceitful, flattering, rogue".