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ArchivesMy column on Brendan
Here is the link to today's column. Like Aidan, Brendan is another Irish name which was almost completely unused for centuries until revived by Irish nationalists in the late 19th century.
https://omaha.com/lifestyles/cleveland-evans-brendans-popularity-starts-in-its-irish-roots/article_0c079e7e-be04-11ed-b157-cf4d28defc6a.html
https://omaha.com/lifestyles/cleveland-evans-brendans-popularity-starts-in-its-irish-roots/article_0c079e7e-be04-11ed-b157-cf4d28defc6a.html
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That history seems to be the case with a lot of Irish names. If you look at Irish historical figures from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, you'll notice that almost all of them have English names, regardless of whether they were Catholic or Protestant. I've seen fictional depictions of Irish people during that time that don't seem to realize that and insist on giving them Irish names, especially if they're Catholic (bonus points if it's a name that wasn't historically considered a given name in Ireland). I roll my eyes when I see fictional 19th century Irish characters with names like Connor, Aidan, Shannon, and Colleen. (From what Irish people have told me, Colleen isn't considered a name in Ireland. Also, they didn't use surnames as given names in pre-modern Ireland, especially not on girls. And according to this website, at one time Patrick and Bridget were considered too sacred to use on kids.)
This message was edited 4/9/2023, 11:07 AM
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In medieval Ireland Patrick and Bridget were indeed too sacred to give to children -- they become common in Ireland ironically because the English overlords accepted them as names on birth records because they were also used in England.
I think Colleen is now occasionally used in Ireland itself, but it certainly was not created as a name there. I had a friend who was born around 1949 who was named Colleen. Here paternal grandmother was born in Ireland, and she was very angry at her son for naming her that. She told me that for years her grandmother asked her father "When are you going to give the colleen a real name?"
I think Colleen is now occasionally used in Ireland itself, but it certainly was not created as a name there. I had a friend who was born around 1949 who was named Colleen. Here paternal grandmother was born in Ireland, and she was very angry at her son for naming her that. She told me that for years her grandmother asked her father "When are you going to give the colleen a real name?"
This message was edited 4/10/2023, 3:48 PM
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Thanks for sharing! Brendan has always been a fascinating name to me.
Saint Brendan's island is a popular legend in my area, the Canary Islands (where the myth is known as Isla de San Borondón), to the point it has become vernacular, besides Madeira and the Azores. However, the name Brendan in various of its Spanish forms is rather obscure, even though of the island it has never caught on.
Saint Brendan's island is a popular legend in my area, the Canary Islands (where the myth is known as Isla de San Borondón), to the point it has become vernacular, besides Madeira and the Azores. However, the name Brendan in various of its Spanish forms is rather obscure, even though of the island it has never caught on.
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