Is Your Name Not on the Translation List?

Here are some names that I have been asked to translate. These are not technically translatable into Irish, but sometimes you can create modern versions of names. Sometimes it's just impossible to find a name that matches. Foreign names got translated into Irish when they were brought to Ireland by foreigners, namely, Vikings, Norman and English settlers, and Missionaries. Many translatable names are biblical, such as John, James, etc. Others were just extremely common among settlers, or were the names of Kings or other important figures. That is why not all names work in Gaelic. Names that were coined since the Middle Ages generally do not translate into Irish Gaelic.

Alfie
Alfie started out life as a pet form of the name Alfred. However, it could also be considered a short form of Alphonsus, which was rendered Anlón in Irish. Another way to "translate" Alfie would be to find a name that sounds similar in Irish (this has been done for centuries the other way around, with Sorchas becoming Sarahs and Donnachadhs becoming Dennises and Daniels on documents). Ailbhe /AH'eel v'yeh/ is the best contender for that. Another thing you could do is take the Norman surname Avery, which is an old French form of Alfred. In Ireland, this surname became: Aimhréidh /AH vuh ree/. You could also simply spell the name out phonetically in Irish, which would give you Ailfí /AHL uh fee/.

Alvin
Alvin was never translated into Irish, so... you could try to spell Alvin out in Irish Gaelic, which would give you something like: Ailbhín /AL uh veen/ or Ailbheán /AL uh vawn/. Actually, those would totally work as a real Irish name-- there is a name, Ailbhe, and the endings -ín and -án are normal diminutive forms!

Austin, Austen
Austin is an anglicization of the Irish forms of the name Augustine, which are Aibhstín /AV uh shteen/ and Oistín /USH teen/.

Benedict
The name Maolbheannachta is often anglicized Benedict.

Benjamin
Benjamin's translation was never used as a first name in Ireland, rather it was only used for the character in the bible. It is: Biniáimin /BIN yah min/. If you want a more name-like name, you could use Beirichtir or Beiricheart, which is the name of an Anglo-Saxon saint who settled in Ireland in the 9th century. His name has been anglicized Benjamin, though the names have no etymological connection.

Beverly
I think about the only thing you could do is spell it out phonetically, like Bebheairlí (would sound kind of like BEV yar lee). Other than that, being an English surname meaning "beaver stream" or something like that, I'm afraid, I can't come up with anything close in meaning!

Brad
Brad is an English name, originally a short form of English surnames like Bradley and Bradford. It was never translated into Irish. "Brad" itself is an Irish word, but it's a vocabulary word meaning "spirited." There is a name derived from this word, though: Bradach /BRAD ukh/.

Brody, Brodie
In Ireland, the surname Ó Brollacháin is sometimes anglicized Brodie or Brody. The first name form of this would be Brollachán /BRULL uh khawn/.

Caleb
Though this was never used as a name for anyone outside the character in the bible, in Irish, Caleb is Cálaeb (KAWL eb).

Cameron, Camryn
Cameron is a Scottish surname meaning "crooked nose." In Scottish Gaelic, it's Camshròn, and according to one source I have it became Cumarán /KUM a rawn/ in Irish.

Cary, Carey
The surname Ó Ciardha was often anglicized Carey or Cary. The first name form of that is Ciar /KEE ur/, which is a girls' name. You can use the masculine form, which is Ciarán /KEE uh rawn/.

Carroll
The surname Ó Cearbhaill is where we get the name Carroll, thus you could use the first name form for Carroll: Cearbhall /K'YAR vull/ or Cearúl /K'YAR ool/

Casey, Kasey, etc.
Casey is an anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Cathasaigh. The forename form of this is Cathasach /KAH ha sakh/. This is technically a man's name, but Casey was originally used for boys anyway, so if Casey is a girl, I suppose this would work as well.

Chase
You could use the Irish word for "chase" (the noun as in "the thrill of the chase"), which would be Tóir or Fiach... you could use the name Fiachra, which is unrelated to the word for chase ("fiach" can mean other things as well). Or, you could juset try to spell Chase out phonetically in Gaelic, which would be something like Séas /SHAY us/ (there is no CH sound in Irish).

Cody
Cody is an Irish surname. In Irish, it is spelled Mac Óda, which means "son of Óda." You could use this form, or just Óda, since that is the first name form.

Corey
Corrie/Corry is an anglicization of the Irish surnames Mac Gothraidh , Ó Comhraí, Ó Comhraidhe, and Ó Corra. Gothraigh ("Godfrey") /GUH ree/, Comhrai(dh) /KAH ree/ or /KOW ree/, and Corra ("spear") /KUR ra/ are the first name forms of these.

Curt, Curtis
Curtis comes from an Old French surname which means "courteous." Curt is a short form of this, or else it can be a variation of the German name Kurt. Kurt is a short form of Konrad, which comes from germanic elements meaning "bold" and "counsel." Kurt/Konrad was never translated into Irish, but Curtis was brought to Ireland by the Normans, where it was rendered de Cuirtéis /deh COOR taysh/. You could use Cuirtéis as the Irish form.

Darren/Darin/Darrin etc.
Darin was never translated into Irish; it wasn't used as a first name until the 20th century in English even. We're not sure where the name comes from-- its popularity stems mainly from the actor Darren McGavin (b. 1922) and then from its use as the main male character on the 1960s tv series Bewitched. At any rate, you could Irishize it as Darán /DAR awn/, which would mean "little oak tree." Dara itself (the word for 'oak tree') is used sometimes as a name in Ireland, as is names derived from this word, such as Dáire and Dáirine.

Dean
In Irish, Dean is Déaghán,/JAY hawn/ meaning, literally, "a dean."

Dennis, Denis
Den(n)is comes from a French name that is derived from Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. It was never translated into Irish. However, the Irish name Donnchadh/Donnacha /DUN uh kha/ has been traditionally used as an equavalent based on sound alone. Donnacha is derived from the elements donn, "brown" + cath "battle." It is usually translated to mean "brown-haired warrior."

Derek, Derrick
The name Derrick is sometimes used to translate the Irish surname Ó Deirg. thus, you could use Deirg /DEH rig/. This name just means "red."

Drew
Drew started out life as a Scottish short form of Andrew. One form of Andrew in Irish is Aindriú, so Driú would work well for this.

Duncan
In Irish, Duncan is Donnchadh (also can be spelled Donncha or Donnacha) and is pronounced /DUN nikh a/. The normal Irish anglicization is Donough, while in Scotland the same name was rendered Duncan. It means "Brown lord" probably implying a swarthy complexion or brown hair.

Dylan, Dillon
Dylan is a Welsh name-- it is very ancient, and the meaning is disputed. Part of the name probably means "sea." There are several names in Irish that mean "sea," or have that as an element. A few are:

• Murchú (MUR khoo), "hound of the sea.": Murphy
• Murchadh (MIR a kha), "sea battler": Murrough
• Muiríos (MIR ees), "sea-strength": Maurice
• Muirín (MIR een), "born of the sea": -

However, if you spell the name Dillon, it's a different matter altogether. Dillon is an Irish surname which originally was the Norman surname deLeon. This name may mean "from Lyons" (place in France), or refer to lions or a personal name. The Irish form of Dillon is Diolun.

Elijah, Elias
In the Irish language bible, Elijah is Éilias /AY lee us/. However, this was never used for regular people in Ireland, just for the biblical figure. Elias is a Greek form of Elijah. Elijah was also used as an English equivalent of the irish name Oillil /ILL yel/. Though this has no etymological connection, Oillil has a historical connection to the name Elijah.

Ernest, Ernie
Though the only connection is by sound, the name Ernest was often used in the past as an English equivalent to the Irish name Earnán /ER nawn/, which is likely derived from the element iarn meaning "iron."

Ethan
Ethan is a Hebrew name, borne by a minor character in the bible. In the Irish language bible, it is rendered Éatán /AY ah tawn/.

Eugene
Though it has no etymological connection, the name Eugene was used in the past as an English equivalent of the names Aodh /EE/, which is derived from a Celtic god name meaning "fire" and Eoghan /OH in/, which means "born of the yew." These equavalents were based on sound alone.

Evan
Evan is a Welsh form of John. In Irish, John is either Seán (SHAWN) or Eoin (OH in). The name Éimhín (AY veen) (meaning "prompt; ready") has sometimes been anglicized Evin, so you could use this as well. Éimhín was also used for girls, so if you're translating a female Evan (it's occasionally found as a girls' name) , this would be the way to go.

Ferdinand, Fernando
Ferdinand has no actual Irish translation, but it was used as an equivalent of the Irish name Feardorcha /far DUR uh kha/ based solely on sound. Feardorcha is derived from fear "man" + dorcha "dark." Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese form of Ferdinand.

Frederick
Frederick has no actual Irish translation, but it was used as an equivalent of the Irish name Feardorcha /far DUR uh kha/ based solely on sound. Feardorcha is derived from fear "man" + dorcha "dark."

Gary
As a first name, Gary started as an American phenomenon. It probably came about with the popularity of the actor Gary Cooper, who changed his name from Frank at the suggestion of his agent, a native of Gary, Indiana. The Indiana town probably got its name from an English settler--as an English surname, Gary may be derived from the first name Gerald or Gerard. Because of this, you may use the Irish for Gerard, Gearoid (GAR id) as a translation. However, In Ireland, Gary is a surname that is an anglicization of the Irish surname Mag Fhearadhaigh (Son of Fearadhach). Fearadhach (FAR akh) would also work as a translation.

Gerry, Gerri, Geri, Jerry, Jeri
Gerri (for a girl) in Irish would be Gearoidín. (Gerri was originally a pet form of Geraldine, although it's used on its own now). For a boy, Gerry/Jerry would be Gearoid (Gerard) or Gearalt (Gerald). 

Glen, Glenn
Glenn started out life as an English surname, possibly stemming from the Gaelic word "gleann," meaning "valley." In Irish and Scottish Gaelic, this is not a name, simply a word. It's pronounced glyan.

Graham, Graeme
Graham/Graeme was used as an anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Gréacháin. You could use Greachán /GRAY uh khawn/ as the forename form.

Harrison, Harris
Harrison means "son of Harry" and Harry is a medieval short form of Henry, so... Harrison would be Mac Éinrí (literally, "son of Henry"). Harris, which is another form of the same name would be the same.

Isaiah
In the Irish language bible, Isaiah is Íseáia /ee SAW ya/. However, this was never used for regular people in Ireland, just for the biblical figure.

Jacob
In the Irish language bible, Jacob is Iacób /YAH kobe/. However, this was never used for regular people in Ireland, just for the biblical figure. However, Latin for Jacob is Iacomus, which made it to English as James. This in turn became Séamus in Irish.

Jamie, Jaime, Jami, Jaymie etc.
These are all nicknames that are derived from James. So, if Jamie is a boy, you could use Séamus /SHAY mus/. However, Jamie is often used for girls these days, and Séamus is definitely a male name in Ireland. You could use the diminutive form, Seamaisín /SHAY mush een/ for a girl, possibly, though this was normally used for boys as well. However, in modern Irish, the suffix -ín is often added to male names to make them feminine. You could spell just Jamie out phonetically in Irish as well: Séimí /SHAY mee/.

Jared
In the Irish language bible, Jared is Iárad /YAR ud/. However, this was never used for regular people in Ireland, just for the biblical figure.

Jason
The name Jason was never directly translated into Irish. However, there are a couple of Jasons in the Bible. In the Irish language bible, this name is translated in one place as Iásón /YAW sone/ and in another as Iasón /YAH sone/. These names were never used for actual people outside of the bible, simply as translations of biblical figures, but it still works.

Jaydon, Jaden, Jaedan etc.
This is a modern name that has no Irish equivalent. You can use an Irish name that sounds similar: Aodán /AY dawn/, /EE dawn/ or spell it out in Irish: Séadan /SHAY dun/ (there's no letter "j" in Irish!)

Jeremy, Jeremiah
Jeremy is an English form of the Hebrew Jeremiah. It means "appointed by God." While this name was never directly translated into Irish, it was often used to anglicize the name Diarmaid. Diarmaid/Diarmuid (DEER mid) is an Irish name with an uncertain meaning. It may stem from words meaning "free from envy," or "charioteer." It is often anglicized Dermot.

Jesse
In the Irish language Bible, Jesse is Ieise /YESH eh/. This was never used as a name in Ireland, simply for the translation of the person in the bible, but there it is.

Jody
For a boy, Jody most likely started out as a short form of Joseph (similarly, Josey was also once a boys' name). Use the Irish form of Joseph: Seosamh /SHO sav/.

Jonah/Jonas
Jonas is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yonah, which means "dove." Jonah is an English form. You could use the Irish name Colm (CULL um) to translate this: it comes from the Latin name Columba, which means "dove." Otherwise, you could spell Jonah/Jonas out phonetically in Irish. Since there is no letter J in Irish, it would be something like Seóna/Seónas (SHO na/SHO nas) or Ióna/Iónas (YO na/Yo nas).

Jordan
The surname Jordan was brought to Ireland by a Norman family sometime after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. In Irish, this name became Mac Siúirtáin. The first-name form would be Siúirtán (SHOOR tawn).

Joshua
Joshua is the English form of the Hebrew name Yeheshua. The Irish form of this name, used in the Irish language bible is Iósua /YO swa/. This name was never really used by the general population; just for the figure in the Bible, though.

Josiah, Josias
In my Irish language bible, Josiah is listed as Íoisíá.  /EE oh see ah/. This name was never really used by the general population; just for the figure in the Bible, though.

Jude
The form of Jude used in the bible is Iúd (YOOD). This was not traditionally used as a name in Ireland, simply to refer to the biblical character/saint.

Julian
As far as I know, Julian never got translated into Irish. However, Julia has-- it's Iúile. Since -án is already a common masculine suffix for male names in irish, it would be easy to create a man's form: Iúileán. It would be pronounced something like /YULE y'awn/.

Justin
Justin comes from the Latin justus, meaning "just." It was occasionally used in past centuries as an equivalent of the name Saerbhreathach, pronounced /SHARE vrahok/, as that name means "noble judgement." Or, you can try to spell it out phonetically: Justin would be something like Siústan (SHOO stun) or Iústan /YOOS tun/.

Kyle
Kyle started out as a Scottish surname derived from the personal name Caol. This name would be the same in Irish.

Lee, Leigh
Lee comes from an English word used in many names and place names (pretty much everything ending in -ly or -ley) used to denote a meadow, clearing, field, or wood. In Ireland, it is used as an anglicization of a couple of different Irish surnames: Mac Laoidhigh ("poetic"), Mac an Leagha ("physician"). Since you probably don't want to call yourself "Doctor," the first one would probably make the best name.The adjectival form is Laoidheach /L'WEE yokh/. It's not technically a name, just a vocabulary word, but it's an older one that isn't used as often as other words for the same thing. If you don't want to go this route, you could use Laoi. That's the Irish form of the River Lee in Co. Cork.'

Leslie, Lesley
Leslie is a Scottish surname with obscure origins. It probably originates from the place Lesslyn in Aberdeenshire. Lesslyn is probably derived from the Gaelic leas cuilinn, meaning "garden of holly." Thus, you could use Leaschulainn to translate it. However, that's kind of weird and unwieldy as a name. So, you could also use a name meaning "holly" to partially translate Leslie. The only first name with this meaning is Mac Cuilinn, literally meaning "son of holly," however, you could use one of these surnames derived from "holly," as Leslie was originally a surname: Cullen, Quillan, Cullinan(e), and Quillinane. You could also simply use the word for "holly." (see also Holly.) Or, you could spell it out phonetically in Irish, like Leaslaí /L'YAS lee/ or Lioslaí /L'YUS lee/.

Lindsay, Lindsey
This is a Scottish surname originally denoting a place name in England. The meaning is "Lincoln's wetland." It is not translatable into Irish. However, Lindsay was sometimes used to anglicize the Irish surname Ó Loingsigh , stemming from the word "mariner" (more commonly Lynch, Lynchy, Linsky, Glinchy, Clinchy etc.) You could use Loingseach /LUNG shakh/ as a translation.

Maddox
Maddox comes from the Welsh name Madoc, which means "generous; forgiving." It is used as an anglicization of the Irish surname Mac Mhadóc ("son of Madóc). Madóc and other forms: Madóg and Maodhóg are separate names, all forms of a diminutive form of Aodh, which means "fire" and was the name of a Celtic sun god. However, they can work as translations.

Mason
In Irish, this is Máisiún /MAW shoon/. This is not a name, merely the word for a stone mason, but in English it means the same thing (via an occupational surname).

Maxwell
Maxwell is a Scottish surname, and as such doesn't not translate into Irish. However, Maxwell was sometimes used to anglicize the surname Ó Meiscill (normally anglicized Meskill or Miskill). I guess this was all a long winded way of saying, as a first name, you could use Meiscill.

Meredith
Meredith is a man's name in Welsh, an anglicization of Meredydd (/meh RED ith/ with the "th" being like the beginning of "this" and the end of "with.") . However, in the USA, Meredith is used mostly for girls. It was never translated into Irish, but you can use an unrelated Irish name that sounds similar: Míonait /MEE uh nat/, Muadhnit /MOOA nit/. However, since in Welsh, Meredith means either "great lord" or "sea lord," you might want to use a name that is closer in meaning, such as Muireann /M'WIR un/, which means "sea-fair" or Muirín /M'WIR een/ which means "born of the sea." You could also spell it out phonetically in Irish, which would give you something like Méredit /MAY reh dit/.

Mitchell
In Irish, the surname Mitchell was brought over by the English (it is an English surname derived from the name Michael). It was thus rendered Mistéil /MISH tale/.

Morgan
Originally Welsh, Morgan stems from elements meaning "circle" and, possibly, "sea." It has been used in the past to anglicize the Irish mans' name Murchadh, meaning "sea-battler." This name is pronounced MUR a kha, and often anglicized Murrough.

Noah
In the Irish language bible, Noah is Naoi /NAH ee/ or / NEE/. However, this was never used for regular people in Ireland, just for the biblical figure.

Randy
Randy started out being a short form of Randolf and Randall (another form of Randolf). The surname Mac Raghnaill was often anglicized Randall or Randal, thus the first name form, Raghnall, would be the closest translation.

Riley, Reilly, Rylee etc.
Reilly comes from the Irish surname Ó Raghallaigh, meaning "descendant of Raghallach" (a name whose meaning has been lost). For a translation, you could use the first name form, Raghallach.

Ryan
Ryan is an anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Riáin. This is derived from the first name Rián, which is a diminutive form of the word "Rí," meaning "king."

Seth
In the Irish language bible, Seth is Séat /SHAY ut/. However, this was never used for regular people in Ireland, just for the biblical figure.

Shannon
For a boy, this would be Seanán /SHAN nawn/ (it's the equivalent of Johnny in Irish--this comes from the surname form).

Skyler, Skylar, Schuyler
Skyler is a surname coming from the Dutch Schuyler meaning "scholar." Scolaidh /SKULL ee/ is the Irish congnate from the same root.

Sydney/Sidney
The name Sidney was also used to "translate" the Irish name Séadhna /SHAY uh na/-- this is a man's name, borne by 13 saints. Today the name Séadhna is relatively rare.

Terry
The name Terry has been used as an anglicization of the surname Mac Thoirdhealbhaigh (more commonly anglicized Turley). This name means "son of Toirdhealbhach," so you could use just the name form, Toirdhealbhach /TUR uh lakh/.

Taylor
Taylor is an English surname, originally denoting one who worked as a tailor. In Irish, the word for "tailor" is Táilliúr /TAW eel'yoor/. This is not used as a name in Ireland, rather as simply a word for someone who sews and mends clothes, but until recently, Taylor wasn't used much as a first name in any country, anyway!

Tracy, Tracey
Most commonly found as a surname in Ireland, Tracy can be rendered Treasach /TRASS ukh/, meaning "warlike."

Travis
Travis is an English surname based on norman French Travers. Ó Treabhair is an Irish surname meaning "descendent of Treabhar", which is often anglicized Travers. Thus Treabhar (TRA vur) would be a good translation.

Trent, Trenton
Trent isn't directly translatable into Irish. however, through a roundabout way, you could use Torán. Ó Toráin (Torán is the first name form) is a surname that is often anglicized Tarrant. Tarrant is an English surname that comes from the place name Trent (the river).  

Trevor
Trevor is an anglicization of the Welsh name Trefor (pronounced about the same way). However in Irish, it is sometimes used as an anglicization of the name Treabhar (TRA vur).

Troy
In Irish, Troy is generally a surname, an anglicization of Ó Troighthigh, meaning "foot-soldier." To make this a first name (Ó Troighthigh literally means 'grandson of Troighthach'), you could use just Troighthach /TRUH eehakh/.

Wayne
Wayne is an English occupational surname meaning "wagon maker"-- Irish surnames are usually derived from personal names and not occupational terms. The Irish for "wagon" is "vaigín", but it's not a name. It's difficult to even spell "Wayne" out phonetically in Gaelic because there's no "w."  I think the best you can do is use the Irish name Uaithne /WAN yeh/ as an approximation. This is a man's name that means "greenish."

Zachary, Zack
Zachary was never translated into Irish, but in Scottish Gaelic, apparently it has been rendered Saichairí /SAKH a ree/. This would work as a phonetic spelling in Irish as well.