Deirdre

Revision History

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12/1/2024, 10:33 PM Mike C update #117
1/21/2022, 9:40 PM Mike C update #111
11/16/2019, 11:04 AM Mike C update #105
2/28/2019, 2:08 PM Mike C update #102
12/8/2017, 12:41 PM Mike C update #97
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Feminine
Usage English, Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced Pron. /ˈdɪɹ.dɹə/(American English) /ˈdɪɹ.dɹi/(American English) /ˈdɪə.dɹə/(British English) /ˈdɪə.dɹi/(British English) /ˈdʲɛɾˠ.dʲɾʲə/(Irish)

Meaning & History

From the Old Irish name Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from der meaning "daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after Conchobar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover Naoise.

It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 20th century, influenced by two plays featuring the character: William Butler Yeats' Deirdre (1907) and J. M. Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910).