Celtic names belong to the Celtic language tradition. This collection contains 947 Celtic names with their meanings, cultural backgrounds, and pronunciation guides. You'll find 388 names traditionally given to boys and 542 names for girls, reflecting naming patterns from regions where Celtic is spoken. These names carry the linguistic heritage and cultural values of Celtic-speaking communities. Common themes include noble, divine, strength, showing what Celtic cultures have valued across generations.
This name is an Anglicization of the Gaelic “Néill,” which is of disputed derivation. The Gaelic name may derive from the words “nél,” meaning “cloud” or “niadh,” meaning “champion.” The Vikings adopted the Gaelic name and were taken to Iceland as Njáll. From Iceland, it went via Norway, Denmark, and Normandy to England. The surname “Neil” is a reduced form of the surname “McNeil” (from the Gaelic Mac Néill, ‘son of Niall’), or a variant form of the surname of Neill (from the Irish Gaelic Ó Néill or the Scottish Gaelic Mac Néill, meaning “descendant of Niall” and “son of Niall.”
⭐ PopularThere are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
⭐ PopularThis name is an Anglicization of the Gaelic “Néill,” which is of disputed derivation. The Gaelic name may derive from the words “nél,” meaning “cloud” or “niadh,” meaning “champion.” The Vikings adopted the Gaelic name and were taken to Iceland as Njáll. From Iceland, it went via Norway, Denmark, and Normandy to England. The surname “Neil” is a reduced form of the surname “McNeil” (from the Gaelic Mac Néill, ‘son of Niall’), or a variant form of the surname of Neill (from the Irish Gaelic Ó Néill or the Scottish Gaelic Mac Néill, meaning “descendant of Niall” and “son of Niall.”
Brent derives from “Brent,” an Old English place-name, given name, and surname. The origin of this name is still quite uncertain today. The theories include: The place-name could derive from the Celtic word meaning “holy one” (if it refers to the river Brent), or “high place,” literally “from a steep hill” (if it refers to the villages in Aomerset and Devon, England). The second hypothesis for the first element is “bent” from past tense and past participle of “bend” (not straight, turned, or inclined in some direction).
London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. The etymology of the name is uncertain. There is a long history of mythicizing etymologies, such as the 12-century Historia Regum Britanniae asserting that the city’s name is derived from King Lud’s name, who once controlled the city. However, in recent times a variety of scientific theories have also been proposed. There is no evidence such a figure ever existed. Instead, the Latin name “Londinium” was probably based on a native Brittonic placename reconstructed as “*Londonjon,” which would itself have been of Celtic origin.
London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. The etymology of the name is uncertain. There is a long history of mythicizing etymologies, such as the 12-century Historia Regum Britanniae asserting that the city’s name is derived from King Lud’s name, who once controlled the city. However, in recent times a variety of scientific theories have also been proposed. There is no evidence such a figure ever existed. Instead, the Latin name “Londinium” was probably based on a native Brittonic placename reconstructed as “*Londonjon,” which would itself have been of Celtic origin.
This name derives from the Middle Irish “albbu,” which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “Alb-i̯en,” shared with the Latin root “albus > albinus,” which means “white, bright.” Saint Ailbe was a sixth-century Irish bishop. The vita, or “life,” of Ailbe is included in the “Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae (VSH),” a collection of medieval Irish saints’ lives in Latin compiled in the fourteenth century.
Mckinley derives from a surname, the Gaelic form of which is “Mac Fhionnlaigh” meaning "son of Fionnlagh". A famous bearer was the assassinated American president William McKinley (1843–1901).
This name derives from a Scottish surname “Irvine,” meaning “green water,” from the river Irvine in Dumfriesshire. The name, in turn, is composed of two Celtic elements: “ir” (green, fresh) plus “afon” (river, water). However, wherever found, the surname can also be a developed form of the Old English pre 7th century given name “Irwyn,” originally composed of the elements “eofor,” meaning “wild boar,” and “wine,” meaning “a friend.” Clan Irvine is a lowland Scottish clan. Sometime between 1124 and 1125, Gilchrist, son of Erwini, witnessed a charter of the Lords of Galloway. The first lands by the name of Irvine were in Dumfriesshire. According to family tradition, the clan chief’s family’s origin is connected with the early Celtic monarchs of Scotland.
This name derives from the Celtic “Conall,” meaning “high and mighty.” The word “conal” in English means “shaped like a cone or funnel; conic.” Conall Cernach is a hero of the Ulaidh in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is said to have always slept with the head of a Connachtman under his knee. His epithet is usually translated as “victorious” or “triumphant,” although it is an obscure word, and some texts struggle to explain it. Alternative meanings include “angular, having corners,” “swollen,” or “possessing a dish or receptacle.”
Baz is a short form of Basil, Sebastian, Balthazar, and Barry. It is of Greek, Latin, Akkadian, Celtic and Irish (Gaelic) origin and comes from the following roots: (BASÍLEIOS) (SEBASTIANUS) (BĒL-ŠARRA-UṢUR) (FIONN BARR) and (BIORACH).
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*bhel-,” meaning “light.” In Celtic mythology, Bel was a deity worshipped in Gaul, Cisalpine Gaul, and Celtic areas of Austria, Britain, and Spain. He is mainly associated with Cornwall, West Cornwall being anciently called Belerion, the place of Bel. He was the Celtic sun god and had shrines from Aquileia on the Adriatic to Kirkby Lonsdale in England. The name is interpreted as “shining one, the bright one.”
This name derives from the Scottish Gaelic personal name “Domhnall and Dòmhnall,” meaning “ruler of the world, king of the world.” The name is ultimately derived from the Old Celtic word elements “dubno” (world), a Celtic name of the God of the Dobuni, plus “val” (rule). The final -d on Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English-speakers and somewhat associated with the spelling of similar-sounding Germanic language names.
Bee is a short form of Beatrix and Bridget. The name is of Latin and Celtic origin and comes from the following roots: (BEATRIX) and (BRIGHID). The name has no connection with the little winged and producer of honey.
This name is a short form of Brigitta and Marghit. It is of Celtic and Greek origin and comes from the following roots: (BRIGHID) and (margarī́tēs).
Gus is a short form of Angus, Augustus, Augustin, and Constantine. It is of Celtic, Pictish, and Latin origin and comes from the following roots (ÓENGUS) and (AUGUSTUS) (CŌSTANTĪNUS).
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
This name is of Brittonic origin (Breton / Welsh) and derives from the Old Irish and Proto-Celtic “máel / mael,” meaning “bald, bare, shaved, shorn, tonsured (chief, prince).” In the pre-Christian era, the meaning was “of a slave.” After the introduction of Christianity to Ireland, the name was changed as someone who is devoted (to God or a given saint). St. Mael was a hermit of Wales, sometimes called Mabel. He was a disciple of St. Cadfan, whom he accompanied from Brittany, France, Wales, and then to the island of Bardsey.
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
This name means “land of the Britons.” Britannia derives from the Greek Πρεταννικαὶ Νῆσοι (Pretannikai Nesoi) used by Pytheas of Marseilles, a Greek geographer and explorer, who had circumnavigated Britain between 330 and 320 BC and described various islands in the North Atlantic to the extreme Thule (probably Iceland or the Shetland Islands). Pytheas described Thule as the northernmost part of Prettanikḗ (Πρεττανική) or Pretannikaí (Πρεταννικαὶ), his term for the entire group of islands in the far north-west. There is a possibility that the term may derive from the Celtic “*Pritani, “meaning “Picts.” In AD 43, the Roman Empire began its conquest of the island, establishing a province called Britannia, which came to encompass the parts of the island south of Caledonia (Scotland). The native Celtic inhabitants of the region are known as the Britons. In the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a centurion’s helmet.
This name derives from the Irish surname “Ó Broin,” meaning “descendent of Bran,” from the Old Irish “bran,” which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “*brano,” meaning “raven, crow, European carrion crow (Corvus corone).” The name has been traced back to the ancient Celtic chieftain, Bran mac Máelmórda, King of Leinster, deposed in 1018 († 1052), who belonged to the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty. He was descended from Cathair Mór, an earlier king of Leinster, who was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, also monarch of all Ireland around 200 AD.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*windos > find > fionn” (Welsh: gwyn), meaning “white, fair.” The name Fiona was invented and first used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson (1736–1796). The name Fiona is also sometimes used as an Anglicization of the Irish-language name Fíona. Finn MacCoul, was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology, also occurring in the mythologies of Scotland and the Isle of Man. The stories of Fionn and his followers the Fianna form the Fenian Cycle (or Fiannaidheacht), much of it purported to be narrated by Fionn’s son, the poet Oisín.
Vivi is a diminutive of Olivia, Sofia and a short name of Vivian and Viviana. It is of Latin, Irish, Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Mycenaean Greek, and Old Norse origin and comes from the following roots: (BÉBINN) (VIVIANUS) (ALFHER) (ÁLEIFR/*ANULAIɃAR) (ŎLĪVĀRĬUS) and (SOPHÍA / SOFÍA).
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
This name is a short form of Brigitta and Marghit. It is of Celtic and Greek origin and comes from the following roots: (BRIGHID) and (margarī́tēs).
This name derives from the ethnic Latin nickname of republican age “gallus,” meaning “inhabitant of Gaul, rooster, a priest of Cybele.” Gallus derives from the Old Irish “Goidhel.” However, it was also proposed a derivation from the West Germanic “walkhoz” (wahl, walh), meaning “foreigner, barbarian,” later associated with the Latin “gallus (rooster), which is a symbol of France.
This name has long puzzled etymology. 1) Today it is generally accepted that the origin is Old English, from the pre-Christian era, and a derivative of the tribal or clan name “Binningas,” a people known to have populated the midlands of England before the Roman conquest of 55 AD. Binningen is an Ortsgemeinde, a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective city in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. 2) From the Old Norse “bingr,” meaning “heap.” 3) From the Anglo-Celtic “binge,” meaning “rift.”
This name derives from the Celtic “ceadda,” influenced by the obscure Proto-Celtic and Welsh word “*katus / cad,” meaning “warrior, battle “leader.” Chad of Mercia (Old English: Ceadda) was a prominent 7th-century Anglo-Saxon churchman who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians, and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians.
The origin of this name is still quite uncertain today. The theories include: 1) from the Old English “Brom Dun,” meaning “the hill of gorse,” or from the Irish “Bréanainn,” which seems to derive from the medieval Latin “Brendanus,” probably Lombard. 2) from the English “Brendan,” an Anglicized form of the Irish “Breandán,” from the Old Irish “Brénainn,” which in turn, derives from the Welsh word “breenhín,” meaning “prince, king.”
This name derives from the Scottish Gaelic personal name “Domhnall and Dòmhnall,” meaning “ruler of the world, king of the world.” The name is ultimately derived from the Old Celtic word elements “dubno” (world), a Celtic name of the God of the Dobuni, plus “val” (rule). The final -d on Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English-speakers and somewhat associated with the spelling of similar-sounding Germanic language names.
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
This name derives from the Irish surname “Ó Broin,” meaning “descendent of Bran,” from the Old Irish “bran,” which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “*brano,” meaning “raven, crow, European carrion crow (Corvus corone).” The name has been traced back to the ancient Celtic chieftain, Bran mac Máelmórda, King of Leinster, deposed in 1018 († 1052), who belonged to the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty. He was descended from Cathair Mór, an earlier king of Leinster, who was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, also monarch of all Ireland around 200 AD.
Kendra and other forms such as Kinna, Kenna, and Kenia are a feminine form of Ken and Kendrick, which in turn is the short form of Kenneth, from the (Old Irish: Coinneach and Cináed) and Kendrick, from a surname which has several different origins. The origin of this name is still today quite uncertain. The theories include: From the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) given names Cyneric “royal power” or Cenric “bold power,” or from the Welsh name “Cynwrig,” meaning “chief hero” It can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Eanraig, meaning “son of Henry.”
This name derives from the Middle Irish “albbu,” which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “Alb-i̯en,” shared with the Latin root “albus > albinus,” which means “white, bright.” Saint Ailbe was a sixth-century Irish bishop. The vita, or “life,” of Ailbe is included in the “Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae (VSH),” a collection of medieval Irish saints’ lives in Latin compiled in the fourteenth century.
Tris is a short form of Patricia, Trista, Tristine, Beatrice and Beatrix. The name is of Latin, Celtic and Welsh origin and comes from the following roots: (PĂTRĬCĬUS) (DRUSTAN) and (BEATRIX).
This name derives from the Celtic “rait,” meaning “Highland, mountain land.” Raetia was a Roman Empire province, named after the Rhaetian (Raeti or Rhaeti) people. It was bounded on the west by the Helvetii country, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul, and the south Venetia et Histria. It thus comprised the districts occupied in modern times by eastern and central Switzerland, southern Bavaria and the Upper Swabia, Vorarlberg, the more significant part of Tirol, and part of Lombardy.
This name means “dedicated to Lludd.” The name derives from the Welsh “Lludd,” which in turn derives from the Celtic “*noudont- / *noudent-,” which Tolkien suggested was related to a Germanic root meaning “acquire, have the use of,” earlier “to catch, entrap (as a hunter).” Making the connection with Nuada and Lludd’s hand, he detected “an echo of the ancient fame of the magic hand of Nodens, the Catcher.” Similarly, Julius Pokorny derives the name from a Proto-Indo-European root *neu-d- meaning “acquire, utilize, go fishing.” Ludan, also known as Ludain or Luden, was a Scottish pilgrim to Jerusalem. On his return, he died at Scherkirchen, near the city of Strasbourg, France, at which time the bells of a local church began to ring. The feast day is celebrated on February 12.
This name derives from the Middle Irish “albbu,” which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “Alb-i̯en,” shared with the Latin root “albus > albinus,” which means “white, bright.” Saint Ailbe was a sixth-century Irish bishop. The vita, or “life,” of Ailbe is included in the “Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae (VSH),” a collection of medieval Irish saints’ lives in Latin compiled in the fourteenth century.
Kendra and other forms such as Kinna, Kenna, and Kenia are a feminine form of Ken and Kendrick, which in turn is the short form of Kenneth, from the (Old Irish: Coinneach and Cináed) and Kendrick, from a surname which has several different origins. The origin of this name is still today quite uncertain. The theories include: From the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) given names Cyneric “royal power” or Cenric “bold power,” or from the Welsh name “Cynwrig,” meaning “chief hero” It can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Eanraig, meaning “son of Henry.”
This name derives from the Welsh (golau) / Breton (gouloù), which in turn derives from the Celtic “*wo-lou,” linked to the Pre Latin (*lou-c-s) > (lūx). In turn, the name means “light, good light.” Elwen (also known as Elvan, Elven) was the name of an early saint or saints venerated in Cornwall and Brittany. The hagiographical material asserts that he came to Cornwall from Ireland in the company of Breage and six others, but this is attested late.
Baze is a short form of Basil, Sebastian, Balthazar and Barry. It is of Greek, Latin, Akkadian and Celtic origin and comes from the following roots: (BASÍLEIOS) (SEBASTIANUS) (BĒL-ŠARRA-UṢUR) and (FIONN BARR) (BIORACH).
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*windos > find > fionn” (Welsh: gwyn), meaning “white, fair.” The name Fiona was invented and first used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson (1736–1796). The name Fiona is also sometimes used as an Anglicization of the Irish-language name Fíona. Finn MacCoul, was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology, also occurring in the mythologies of Scotland and the Isle of Man. The stories of Fionn and his followers the Fianna form the Fenian Cycle (or Fiannaidheacht), much of it purported to be narrated by Fionn’s son, the poet Oisín.
This name derives from the Middle Irish “albbu,” which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “Alb-i̯en,” shared with the Latin root “albus > albinus,” which means “white, bright.” Saint Ailbe was a sixth-century Irish bishop. The vita, or “life,” of Ailbe is included in the “Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae (VSH),” a collection of medieval Irish saints’ lives in Latin compiled in the fourteenth century.
Dona is a short form of Donata, Donatella, Loredana, and Donalda. The name is of Latin, French Literature, Celtic and Gaelic origin and comes from the following roots: (DŌNĀTUS) (LOREDAN) and (DOMHNALL).
This name derives from a Scottish toponym of unknown origin, probably from the old Celtic “loverno,” meaning “fox.” Lovern, in Celtic mythology, was a 1st-century Druid healer, called “the fox.” R.D. Blackmore invented the name Lorna or Lornah for his novel “Lorna Doone,” from the Scottish place name Lorn(e) in Argyll. Loarn mac Eirc was a legendary king of Dál Riata who may have lived in the 5th-century.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*bhel-,” meaning “light.” In Celtic mythology, Bel was a deity worshipped in Gaul, Cisalpine Gaul, and Celtic areas of Austria, Britain, and Spain. He is mainly associated with Cornwall, West Cornwall being anciently called Belerion, the place of Bel. He was the Celtic sun god and had shrines from Aquileia on the Adriatic to Kirkby Lonsdale in England. The name is interpreted as “shining one, the bright one.”
This name derives from the Scottish and Irish (Gaelic) “beatha” (Welsh: bywyd), which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “*bivo-tūts,” meaning “life.” Saint Beanus was a bishop in Leinster, one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland.
This name is a short form of Brigitta and Marghit. It is of Celtic and Greek origin and comes from the following roots: (BRIGHID) and (margarī́tēs).
The origin of this name is still quite uncertain today. The theories include: 1) From Old Irish “ben,” from the Proto-Celtic “*benā,” from the Proto-Indo-European “*gʷḗn,” meaning “fairy woman, the nickname for someone with fair hair or a pale complexion.” 2) Alternatively, it could be derived from the surname Bayne, from the Middle English “ban,” from the Old English “bān,” meaning “a bone,” probably of Gaelic origin. 3) From the Dutch-Frisian “baan,” meaning “road, lane, path, (transitive) To make way, clear the road” (From the Middle Low German’ bane,’ compare with German’ Bahn’).
It is an Irish feminine given name. The name is probably derived from the Irish “aoibh,” meaning “pleasure” or “radiant,” although the name has also been associated with the Gaulish goddess “Esuvia.” The name is sometimes Anglicized as “Eva,” though they are different names.
This name derives from the Welsh (golau) / Breton (gouloù), which in turn derives from the Celtic “*wo-lou,” linked to the Pre Latin (*lou-c-s) > (lūx). In turn, the name means “light, good light.” Elwen (also known as Elvan, Elven) was the name of an early saint or saints venerated in Cornwall and Brittany. The hagiographical material asserts that he came to Cornwall from Ireland in the company of Breage and six others, but this is attested late.
There are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
This name derives from a Scottish surname “Irvine,” meaning “green water,” from the river Irvine in Dumfriesshire. The name, in turn, is composed of two Celtic elements: “ir” (green, fresh) plus “afon” (river, water). However, wherever found, the surname can also be a developed form of the Old English pre 7th century given name “Irwyn,” originally composed of the elements “eofor,” meaning “wild boar,” and “wine,” meaning “a friend.” Clan Irvine is a lowland Scottish clan. Sometime between 1124 and 1125, Gilchrist, son of Erwini, witnessed a charter of the Lords of Galloway. The first lands by the name of Irvine were in Dumfriesshire. According to family tradition, the clan chief’s family’s origin is connected with the early Celtic monarchs of Scotland.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic and Irish (Gaelic) “Finnguala,” composed of two elements: “*windos > find > fionn” (white, fair) and “guala” (shoulder), meaning “Fair-shoulder, blonde.” In Irish mythology, Finnguala was the daughter of Lir of the Túatha Dé Danann. The Túatha Dé Danann, also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé (the tribe of the gods) are a race of supernaturally-gifted people in Irish mythology. They are thought to represent the principal deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.
This name derives from the Celtic “rait,” meaning “Highland, mountain land.” Raetia was a Roman Empire province, named after the Rhaetian (Raeti or Rhaeti) people. It was bounded on the west by the Helvetii country, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul, and the south Venetia et Histria. It thus comprised the districts occupied in modern times by eastern and central Switzerland, southern Bavaria and the Upper Swabia, Vorarlberg, the more significant part of Tirol, and part of Lombardy.
This name derives from the ethnic Latin nickname of republican age “gallus,” meaning “inhabitant of Gaul, rooster, a priest of Cybele.” Gallus derives from the Old Irish “Goidhel.” However, it was also proposed a derivation from the West Germanic “walkhoz” (wahl, walh), meaning “foreigner, barbarian,” later associated with the Latin “gallus (rooster), which is a symbol of France.
The origin of this name is still today quite uncertain. In Irish mythology, Fódla daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann was one of the tutelary goddesses of Ireland. Her husband was Mac Cecht. With her sisters, Banba and Ériu, she was part of a famous triumvirate of goddesses. The LÉ Fola (CM12), a ship in the Irish Naval Service (now decommissioned), was named after her.
In Irish mythology, the “Badb” meaning “crow.” She was a war goddess who took the form of a crow and was sometimes known as Badb Catha (battle crow).
This name derives from the Celtic “ceadda,” influenced by the obscure Proto-Celtic and Welsh word “*katus / cad,” meaning “warrior, battle “leader.” Chad of Mercia (Old English: Ceadda) was a prominent 7th-century Anglo-Saxon churchman who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians, and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians.
This name derives from the Middle Irish “albbu,” which in turn derives from the Proto-Celtic “Alb-i̯en,” shared with the Latin root “albus > albinus,” which means “white, bright.” Saint Ailbe was a sixth-century Irish bishop. The vita, or “life,” of Ailbe is included in the “Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae (VSH),” a collection of medieval Irish saints’ lives in Latin compiled in the fourteenth century.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*Φīwerjon-,” meaning “fat.” This suggests a descent from the Proto-Indo-European reconstruction “*piHwerjon-,” likely related to the adjectival stem “*piHwer-“(Sanskrit’ pīvan, pīvarī’) could be related to Hindu goddess Parvati. In Irish mythology, Ériu is the daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. Ériu, which was the name of a Gaelic goddess. Ériu is generally believed to have been the matron goddess of Ireland, a goddess of sovereignty, or simply a goddess of the land. However, since the name “Ériu” is the older Irish form of the word Ireland, her modern name is often modified to “Éire” or “Erin” to suit a contemporary form.
This name derives from the ethnic Latin nickname of republican age “gallus,” meaning “inhabitant of Gaul, rooster, a priest of Cybele.” Gallus derives from the Old Irish “Goidhel.” However, it was also proposed a derivation from the West Germanic “walkhoz” (wahl, walh), meaning “foreigner, barbarian,” later associated with the Latin “gallus (rooster), which is a symbol of France.
This name derives from the Roman praenomen and cognomen “Drusus,” typical of the clan Claudia and Livia, and then inherited by the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The name could derive from the Old Celtic “*dru- > Drausus,” meaning “strong, courageous, valiant.” 1) Drusus Julius Caesar (7–33 AD) was a member of the Julio-Claudian or Imperial family of Ancient Rome. He was a son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder. He was a brother to Emperor Caligula, nephew to Emperor Claudius. 2) Drusus the Elder (38–9 BC) was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a patrician Claudian on his legal father’s side, but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family. 3) Drusilla (38–79 AD) was a daughter of Herod Agrippa I and thus sister to Berenice, Mariamne, and Herod Agrippa II. 4) Drusilla of Mauretania may be the Drusilla mentioned by Tacitus as Antonius and Cleopatra’s granddaughter. If so, she would have been a princess of Mauretania, the youngest child of queen Cleopatra Selene II and king Juba II and a sister to King Ptolemy of Mauretania.
Lacey and its variants were first a baronial surname with Norman-French origins from a place name. The town of Lassy is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France, named after a Gaulish personal name “Lascius.” Lascius appears to have Latin roots and maybe a derivative of “lascivus” which means ‘playful, cheerful, rampant, arrogant, insolent. The name was fairly restricted to English nobility and was also a powerful family name in medieval Ireland. The name first appeared in the Domesday Book, recorded as “de Laci” in 1086. Gautier de Lacy was a Norman nobleman who came to England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. He received lands in Herefordshire and Shropshire and served King William I of England by leading military forces during 1075.
This name means “land of the Britons.” Britannia derives from the Greek Πρεταννικαὶ Νῆσοι (Pretannikai Nesoi) used by Pytheas of Marseilles, a Greek geographer and explorer, who had circumnavigated Britain between 330 and 320 BC and described various islands in the North Atlantic to the extreme Thule (probably Iceland or the Shetland Islands). Pytheas described Thule as the northernmost part of Prettanikḗ (Πρεττανική) or Pretannikaí (Πρεταννικαὶ), his term for the entire group of islands in the far north-west. There is a possibility that the term may derive from the Celtic “*Pritani, “meaning “Picts.” In AD 43, the Roman Empire began its conquest of the island, establishing a province called Britannia, which came to encompass the parts of the island south of Caledonia (Scotland). The native Celtic inhabitants of the region are known as the Britons. In the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a centurion’s helmet.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*Φīwerjon-,” meaning “fat.” This suggests a descent from the Proto-Indo-European reconstruction “*piHwerjon-,” likely related to the adjectival stem “*piHwer-“(Sanskrit’ pīvan, pīvarī’) could be related to Hindu goddess Parvati. In Irish mythology, Ériu is the daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. Ériu, which was the name of a Gaelic goddess. Ériu is generally believed to have been the matron goddess of Ireland, a goddess of sovereignty, or simply a goddess of the land. However, since the name “Ériu” is the older Irish form of the word Ireland, her modern name is often modified to “Éire” or “Erin” to suit a contemporary form.
There are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
In Irish mythology, Anann (Anu, Ana, Anand) was a goddess. ‘Anann’ is identified as the personal name of the Morrígan in many MSS of Lebor Gabála Érenn.
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
There are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
This name derives from the Gaelic surname “Caomhanach,” Gaelic script (Cʌoṁʌ̃nʌċ), from the Irish “cóem,” meaning “handsome, beautiful, gentle, kind, honest, gentle birth.” Many anglicized variations of Caomhánach exist; some of the most common are Kavanagh, Cavanagh, Kavanaugh, and Cavanaugh. The surname was first assumed by Domhnall Caomhánach (the eldest son of the 12th-century King of Leinster, Diarmait Mac Murchada) in Ireland.
This name derives from Celtic “muir geal / Muireall” composed of two elements: “muir” (sea) plus “geal” (bright). The name Muriel is found in the Breton, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic languages. The variant form Merial was very common in medieval England. Muriel was mainly used in Scotland at first, although it became popular outside the country in the early 20th-century.
This name derives from Celtic “muir geal / Muireall” composed of two elements: “muir” (sea) plus “geal” (bright). The name Muriel is found in the Breton, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic languages. The variant form Merial was very common in medieval England. Muriel was mainly used in Scotland at first, although it became popular outside the country in the early 20th-century.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*windos > find > fionn” (Welsh: gwyn), meaning “white, fair.” The name Fiona was invented and first used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson (1736–1796). The name Fiona is also sometimes used as an Anglicization of the Irish-language name Fíona. Finn MacCoul, was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology, also occurring in the mythologies of Scotland and the Isle of Man. The stories of Fionn and his followers the Fianna form the Fenian Cycle (or Fiannaidheacht), much of it purported to be narrated by Fionn’s son, the poet Oisín.
This name has long puzzled etymology. 1) Today it is generally accepted that the origin is Old English, from the pre-Christian era, and a derivative of the tribal or clan name “Binningas,” a people known to have populated the midlands of England before the Roman conquest of 55 AD. Binningen is an Ortsgemeinde, a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective city in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. 2) From the Old Norse “bingr,” meaning “heap.” 3) From the Anglo-Celtic “binge,” meaning “rift.”
The name has two different origins: 1) From the Irish (Gaelic) “Fionnbharr / Fionnbarra,” composed of two elements: “Fionn” (white, fair) plus “barr” (head), and the meaning is “fair-headed one, white head.” 2) From the Irish (Gaelic) “biorach,” meaning “spear.” Saint Berach of Termonbarry, († 595) was a disciple of Saint Kevin and a celebrated Irish saint, whose memory is still celebrated in County Roscommon. He is honored in Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church.
In Irish mythology, Banba is the daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and she is the patron goddess of Ireland. She was originally a goddess of war and fertility. The Irish Navy named the minesweeper LÉ Banba in her honor.
There are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
This name derives from English surname “Lindsay,” originally derived from the territory of “Lindsey” in Lincolnshire, from the Old English toponym “Lindesege,” meaning “Lindum Isle (marshlands of Lincoln).” The Old English toponym “Lindesege” (Lindum Isle) derives from The Latinized form “Lindum,” from the Brittonic “*Lindon” meaning “pool, lake” (Modern Welsh: llyn “lake, pool, puddle, pond”). The kingdom of Lindsey or Linnuis (Old English Lindesege) was a lesser Anglo-Saxon kingdom absorbed into Northumbria in the 7th-century. In the late 19th-century, the surname gave rise to Lindsay’s given name (and variants Lindsey, Lyndsy, etc.) in the United States, at first as a male given name, and since the mid-20th-century increasingly as a female given name. In the United States in 2007, has ranked among the top 200 names for girls from the 1970s through the 1990s.
This name is a combination (composed, blended name) of “Muriel” and “Cheryl.” It is of Celtic, Latin, Old French, and Persian (Fārsi) origin and comes from the following roots: (MUIR GEAL / MUIREALL) and (CĀRUS > CARA > CHÉRIE) (SHIRIN > SHERISH).
This name derives from the Scottish Gaelic and Pictish “*oino-gustos > *oinogustos,” composed of two Celtic elements: “*Oino” (one) plus “gustos” (choice). The name means “powerful, superior strength, one vigor, one-choice.” The variant spelling of Angus in Scottish Gaelic and Irish are respectively “Aonghus” and “Aengus.”
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
There are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
Delia is a diminutive of Adela and the short form of Adelia and Bedelia. It is of Germanic and Celtic origin and comes from the following roots: (ADELA) and (BRIGHID).
This name derives from the Scottish Gaelic personal name “Domhnall and Dòmhnall,” meaning “ruler of the world, king of the world.” The name is ultimately derived from the Old Celtic word elements “dubno” (world), a Celtic name of the God of the Dobuni, plus “val” (rule). The final -d on Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English-speakers and somewhat associated with the spelling of similar-sounding Germanic language names.
Nalda is a short form of Donalda and Rinalda. It is of Celtic and Germanic origin and comes from the following roots: (DOMNALL) and (RAGINALD).
This name derives from a Scottish toponym of unknown origin, probably from the old Celtic “loverno,” meaning “fox.” Lovern, in Celtic mythology, was a 1st-century Druid healer, called “the fox.” R.D. Blackmore invented the name Lorna or Lornah for his novel “Lorna Doone,” from the Scottish place name Lorn(e) in Argyll. Loarn mac Eirc was a legendary king of Dál Riata who may have lived in the 5th-century.
There are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic and Irish (Gaelic) “Finnguala,” composed of two elements: “*windos > find > fionn” (white, fair) and “guala” (shoulder), meaning “Fair-shoulder, blonde.” In Irish mythology, Finnguala was the daughter of Lir of the Túatha Dé Danann. The Túatha Dé Danann, also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé (the tribe of the gods) are a race of supernaturally-gifted people in Irish mythology. They are thought to represent the principal deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.
This name derives from English surname “Lindsay,” originally derived from the territory of “Lindsey” in Lincolnshire, from the Old English toponym “Lindesege,” meaning “Lindum Isle (marshlands of Lincoln).” The Old English toponym “Lindesege” (Lindum Isle) derives from The Latinized form “Lindum,” from the Brittonic “*Lindon” meaning “pool, lake” (Modern Welsh: llyn “lake, pool, puddle, pond”). The kingdom of Lindsey or Linnuis (Old English Lindesege) was a lesser Anglo-Saxon kingdom absorbed into Northumbria in the 7th-century. In the late 19th-century, the surname gave rise to Lindsay’s given name (and variants Lindsey, Lyndsy, etc.) in the United States, at first as a male given name, and since the mid-20th-century increasingly as a female given name. In the United States in 2007, has ranked among the top 200 names for girls from the 1970s through the 1990s.
The origin of this name is still today quite uncertain. In Irish mythology, Fódla daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann was one of the tutelary goddesses of Ireland. Her husband was Mac Cecht. With her sisters, Banba and Ériu, she was part of a famous triumvirate of goddesses. The LÉ Fola (CM12), a ship in the Irish Naval Service (now decommissioned), was named after her.
Lacey and its variants were first a baronial surname with Norman-French origins from a place name. The town of Lassy is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France, named after a Gaulish personal name “Lascius.” Lascius appears to have Latin roots and maybe a derivative of “lascivus” which means ‘playful, cheerful, rampant, arrogant, insolent. The name was fairly restricted to English nobility and was also a powerful family name in medieval Ireland. The name first appeared in the Domesday Book, recorded as “de Laci” in 1086. Gautier de Lacy was a Norman nobleman who came to England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. He received lands in Herefordshire and Shropshire and served King William I of England by leading military forces during 1075.
There are numerous differing etymologies attributed to the name. The name was first introduced into England by Bretons, who took part in the Norman Invasion in the 11th-century. Alan is also an ancient Breton personal name (hence the modern English name Alan), as well as being a French Norman name. In Breton, Alan is a colloquial term for a fox and may originally have meant “deer,” making it cognate with Old Welsh Alan. There are numerous variations of the name in English. The variants Allan and Allen are generally considered to be derived from the surnames Allan and Allen. Alanus de Rupe was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, though Cornelius Sneek assures us that he was born in Brittany.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic form of the name “*Toranos”, meaning “thunder”. In the present day, the Welsh “taranu” and “taran” means “to thunder, thunder” (Breton: taraniñ / taran). In Celtic mythology, Taranis was the god of thunder worshipped principally in Gaul, Gallaecia, Britain, and Ireland, and the Rhineland and Danube regions, amongst others. Taranis, along with Esus and Toutatis as part of a sacred triad, was mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in his epic poem Pharsalia as a Celtic deity to whom human sacrificial offerings were made. According to the Pictish king-lists, Taran, son of Ainftech, was a King of the Picts (692–96). In some instances, the surname may be a variant of the French name “Taurin,” which derived from the Latin “taurus,” bull, and would have been a nickname given to a large, aggressive man. The creation of surnames from nicknames was common in the Middle Ages, and many modern-day surnames are from medieval nicknames referring to personal characteristics.
This name derives from the Gaelic surname "Ó Caollaidhe" (descendant of Caollaidhe). The name and surname derives from the Proto-Celtic “*koilo-“, which literally means "narrow". The modern and figurative meaning is "thin, slender, beautiful, handsome”. Malachy Ó Caollaidhe, also known as O'Quechly (died 1645) was an Irish Roman Catholic archbishop of Tuam.
This name derives from the Proto-Celtic “*windos > find > fionn” (Welsh: gwyn), meaning “white, fair.” The name Fiona was invented and first used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson (1736–1796). The name Fiona is also sometimes used as an Anglicization of the Irish-language name Fíona. Finn MacCoul, was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology, also occurring in the mythologies of Scotland and the Isle of Man. The stories of Fionn and his followers the Fianna form the Fenian Cycle (or Fiannaidheacht), much of it purported to be narrated by Fionn’s son, the poet Oisín.
This name derives from the Scottish Gaelic personal name “Domhnall and Dòmhnall,” meaning “ruler of the world, king of the world.” The name is ultimately derived from the Old Celtic word elements “dubno” (world), a Celtic name of the God of the Dobuni, plus “val” (rule). The final -d on Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English-speakers and somewhat associated with the spelling of similar-sounding Germanic language names.
Naldo is a short form of Arnaldo, Rinaldo, and Donaldo. It is of Celtic and Germanic origin and comes from the following roots: (ARNOALD) (DOMNALL) and (RAGINALD).
This name derives from the Celtic “brig-o > brígh,” meaning “exalted one, fire goddess, power, strength, vigor, virtue.” Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is mostly related to the popularity of Saint Brigid of Kildare, who was so popular in Ireland she was known as “Mary of the Gael.” This saint took on many of the characteristics of the early Celtic goddess Brigid, who was the goddess of agriculture and healing and possibly also of poetry and fire. One of her epithets was “Brigid of the Holy Fire.” Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) (Swedish: Heliga Birgitta or Birgitta Birgersdotter) was a mystic and saint and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena, and Edith Stein.
Celtic names developed within the Celtic language tradition. The naming traditions from regions where Celtic is spoken have evolved over centuries, shaped by migration, trade, religion, and cultural exchange. Today's Celtic names carry this history.
Celtic naming traditions reflect the values and beliefs of regions where Celtic is spoken. Names served multiple purposes: identifying individuals, honoring ancestors, expressing hopes for a child's future, and marking religious or cultural affiliation. These functions shaped which names became popular and how they were used.
Today, Celtic names appear far beyond regions where Celtic is spoken. Immigration, global media, and cultural exchange have made many Celtic names familiar worldwide. Parents choose these names to honor heritage, appreciate their meanings, or simply because they like how they sound. The 947 names in this collection range from ancient choices still popular today to names that have fallen out of use but retain historical interest.
Celtic naming traditions have developed their own patterns and preferences. Names may honor family members, reflect religious beliefs, describe hoped-for qualities, or commemorate significant events. These patterns explain which names stayed popular.
These traditional patterns still matter, but modern parents also mix things up. Some combine traditional and contemporary elements, pick names from other cultures, or create unique variations of classic names.
This collection breaks down to 41% masculine names (388) and 57% feminine names (542). About 2% (17) work as gender-neutral or unisex options.
Celtic names follow the phonetic rules of their language of origin. English speakers may need to adjust their pronunciation for sounds that don't exist in English. Each name page includes a pronunciation guide to help.
When in doubt about pronunciation, listening to native speakers helps more than reading transliterations. Each name page has a pronunciation guide. If you're considering a Celtic name for your child, say it out loud and think about how others in your community will pronounce it.
Our collection includes 947 Celtic names. While some are common choices, others are rare finds that could give a child a distinctive name with authentic cultural roots.
The collection offers balanced options for both genders, with 388 names for boys and 542 for girls.
Current naming trends show renewed interest in heritage names, with parents seeking meaningful connections to cultural roots. Some Celtic names have crossed over to mainstream use, while others remain specific to Celtic-speaking communities.
Popular Celtic names for boys include Nyla, Alan, Nylah, Brent, Londyn. Our database contains 388 Celtic names traditionally given to boys, ranging from classic choices to unique options.
Our collection includes 542 Celtic names for girls. Popular choices blend traditional sounds with meaningful origins. Use the feminine tab to explore options organized by popularity.
Celtic names carry meanings from the Celtic language tradition. Common themes in Celtic names include noble, divine, strength, leader. Each name in our database includes its specific meaning and cultural context.
Celtic names follow the phonetic rules of their language. Each name page includes a pronunciation guide. When uncertain, listening to native speakers provides the most accurate reference.
This database contains 947 Celtic names: 388 for boys and 542 for girls. This represents documented names that have been used historically or are in current use. The actual number of Celtic names ever used is certainly higher.
Spelling difficulty depends on the specific name and your familiarity with Celtic phonetics. Some Celtic names have been adapted to English spelling conventions, making them straightforward. Others retain original spellings that may be unfamiliar. Consider how important easy spelling is to you when choosing a name.