The peculiarities in Christian names are not as likely as to mislead as
differences in surnames- but may be thrown out of their proper place
in an index or escape notice altogether, or, if seen might be taken
to refer to some other person.
The peculiarities in Christian names in Ireland may be divided into five classes:
1. NAMES APPLICABLE TO BOTH SEXES:
Names applicable to both sexes
Names usually given to one sex, but applied to the other
Diminutives materially differing from the original names
Names which are different but for varied reasons are used interchangeably
Irish equivalents for English names and English equivalents for Irish names
Surnames given at baptism as Christian names frequently by Protestants and sometimes applied to both sexes.
2. NAMES USUALLY GIVEN TO ONE SEX-BUT APPLIED TO THE OTHER:
Florence: more usually a male name in Ireland, particularly with the McCarthy family, but nevertheless found albeit rarely, as a female name even before the popularity of Florence Nightingale in the 19th C
Sydney or Sideny: used for both sexes but more commonly as a female name.
Evelyn: both sexes
Edie: a male name in Ireland, confused with diminutive of Edith.
Kitty: usually the diminutive of Catherine, but also used in the forms Kit and Kitty as a diminutive for Christopher.
Constant or Constance: found for a boy in Co. Clare., Constance and Constantia are found as girls' names.
Giles: usually a male name but found in Ireland as a female name and an anglization of Sheila.
All confused due to their slight differences.
3. DIMINUTIVES MATERIALLY DIFFERING FROM THE ORIGINAL NAMES:
4. NAMES WHICH ARE DIFFERENT BUT FOR VARIED REASONS ARE USED INTERCHANGEABLY:
Anty of Anastsia (Anstace)
Bartle, Bat, Batty, Bartly are forms of Bartholomew.
Bessie, Betsy and Lizzie forms of Elizabeth
Biddy, Bride and Beesy of Bridget
Castor and Kit of Christopher
Con, Connor, Corny and Neily of Cornelius
Centy of Hyacinth
Darby of Dermot
Honor, Honny, Onny, Noey and Norah are forms of Honorah
Juggy form of Judith<BR Lack and Lacky of Laughlin
Nancy and Nany are forms of Anne and Hannah
Nell and Nelly of ELlen, Helen and Eleanor
Peggy, Maggy, Meg of Margaret
Polly, Molly and Mally forms of Mary
Polly, Patsy used to Martha
Rory and Roddy of Roderick
Sandy of Alexander
Toby form of Theobold
5. THE IRISH OR ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS OF ONE ANOTHER:
Abigail: Deborah (because of the similarity of their respective diminutives)
Abbie and Debbie and of Gubbie (the diminutive of the Irish Gobnet)
Alice: Ellen (probably due to the diminutive Eily for both the Irish names Eilish and Eileen)
Bridget: Bedelia: Delia: Bessy
Daniel: David (due to poor penmanship and mis-reading or mis-copying)
Edward: Edmond ( because of phonetic similarity)
Gerald: Garrett, Gerard
Giles: Cecily, Cecilia, Celia, Julia (as renderings of the Irish Sheelagh)
Grizell: Grace (In Ulster)
Hannah: Honora, Johanna
Jacob: James (because of latin form Jacobus)
Jane: Joan, Jean (all being rendered Johanna in Latin)
Judith: Julia (perhaps due to the simillarity of their diminutives Judy and Julie)
Owen: Eugene (both being used as translations of the Irish Eoghain)
Patrick: Bartholomew (solely through confusion of respective diminutives Pat and Bat)
Peter: Patrick (in Ulster)
Randal: Randolph: Ralph ( all variants of the same name and rendered Randolphus in latin)
Susan: Johanna (as renderings of the Irish Siobhán)
Theobold: Tobias (because of common diminutive = Toby)
But not necessarily being a correct translation of such names.
- Irish: English
- Brian: Bernard, Barnabas (Barney)
- Diarmaid (Dermot): Jeremiah, Darby, Demetrius
- Tiernan: Terence
- Teige: Thaddeus (Thady)
- Morrogh: Morgan
- Aodh: Hugh, Edie
- Tirlogh: Terence
- Eoghain: Owen, Eugene
- Cormac: Charles
- Cathal: Charles
- Eamonn: Edmond, Edward, Aimon
- Conchobar: Connor, Cornelius, Constantine
- Donogh: Denis, Donat
- Dhonal: Daniel, Donald
- Eileen: Ellen, Helen, Eleanor
- Eilish: Alice
- Siobhán: Johanna, Susan, Jane
- Sheelagh: Cecilia, Cecily, Giles, Sheila, celia, Julia
- Oonagh: Una, WInifred
The correct or standard translation of such Irish names as Sean-John; Seamus- James etc., can be found in a good Irish-English lexicon.
Until the end of the mid 18th C it was unusual for a child to receive more than one Christian name in Ireland although there were some standard favourite combinations such as Ann Jane, Mary Anne. Even in the 19th C the practise of giving a second Christian name was slowly adopted....starting with the richer gentry.
6. Favourite Catholic Christian names were:
John, Patrick, James, Denis, William, Darby, Dermot, Daniel, Cornelius, Henry, Timothy, Thomas, Michael, Jeremiah, Bartholomew, Brian, Laurence, Thady, Terence, Owen, Martin, Mathias, David and Jospeh.
Dominick enjoyed vogue in the 17thC..Columb, Malachy, Miles, Felix, Ambrose and Stanislaus were less commonly used. Aloysius is rare before the 19thC.
Mary, Catherine, Bridget, Honora, Margaret, Ellen, Anastasia, Johanna, Judith, Julia, Rosanna, Maryanne, Elizabeth and Jane. Less common were Magdalen Monica and Theresa. Marcella is found in Ireland but is rare in England.
7. Protestants were more varied:
Boys names were:
Arthur, John, Henry, James, William, Frederick, George, Edward, Richard, Charles, Philip, Oliver, Jonathan, Anthony, Andrew, Simon, Marmaduke and Stephen. They also used old testament names which were rarely used by Catholics such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Isaac, Samuel, Joshua, Gamaliel.
Favourite Protestant girls names seem to have been:
Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Lucy, Catherine, Susanna, Hannah, Margaret, Jane, Isabella, Frances and Alice.
Less frequently: Barbara, Gertrude, Dorothea, Charlote, Diana, Rebecca, Lydia , Grace, Phoebe, Henrietta, Lettice, Ursula, Penelope, Esther and Heather.
8. Some Regional Naming Practices were:
- Austin (for Augustine) was common in the Catholic peasantry in Connaught but was uncommon elsewhere.
- Bernard and Sylvester in Cavan
- Dominick was common amongst Catholics in Mayo and Galway
- Hyacinth in Galway
- Ignatius and Xaverius were common amongst Catholics in Mayo and Galway
- Florence was used as a boys name amongst the Catholics in Cork
- Jasper and Horatio had a vogue in Cork
- Lancelot in Monaghan
- Lettice was widespread amongst Protestant families in Cavan.
- Moses, usually a name used by Protestants was a popular Catholic name in Wexford.
- Catholics in 19thC sometimes gave male children second name of Mary or Maria, and even rarely Anne.
Baptisms and marriages were recorded in either Latin or English. Never in Irish. Generally where English was more common English was used and Latin was in Irish speaking parishes. There is however, no consistency. The Latin version of the first name was given while the surname and placename were still written in English.
Latin Name: English Equivalent (s)
- Anna: Anne
- Cornelius: Cornelius, Conor, Neil
- Demetrius: Jeremiah, Jerome, Jerry, Dermot or Derby. (Demetrius is a latinised form of the Irish name Diarmaid which has also been anglicised as Jeremiah)
- Gulielmus: William
- Hugones: Hugh
- Ioannes: John or Owen
- Jacobus: Jacob, James
- Johana: Johanna, Hannah, Joan, Jane
- Johanes, Joannes: John
- Honoria: Hannah, Nora, Norry
- Margarita: Margaret, Peg (Peig is actually the Irish name for Margaret)
- Maria: Mary, Marie
- Nigellus: Neil, Niall
- Timotheus, Thaddeus: Timothy, Tadgh, Thady