lunarssong's Personal Name List
Swyn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: SOOIN
Means "spell, charm" in Welsh, ultimately from Latin signum "sign".
Sullivan
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SUL-i-vən(English)
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Súileabháin meaning "descendant of Súileabhán". The name Súileabhán means "dark eye".
Sterenn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton
Pronounced: STEH-rehn
Derived from Breton
sterenn "star" (cf.
Steren), this name is occasionally considered the Breton equivalent of Saint
Asteria.
Síthmaith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Irish [1]
From Old Irish
síd meaning "peace" or "fairy mound, tumulus" and
maith meaning "good".
Sítheach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish
Means
"peaceful" or
"fairy-like" in Irish, from Old Irish
síd. Alternatively, it could be from
sídach "wolf".
Sionann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
In Irish legend this was the name of a granddaughter of the sea god
Lir who went to Connla's Well, which was forbidden. The well burst and drowned her, leaving her body in the river thereafter known as the
Sionainn (see
Shannon).
Síomha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: SHEE-wə, SHEE-və
Síofra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHEE-frə
Means "elf, sprite" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Síodhachán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Derived from Irish síodhach "peaceful" or "otherworldly" combined with a diminutive suffix. The adjective síodhach is a variant of sítheach, from síth, basically meaning "settlement", hence both "peace" and "place inhabited by other world beings".
Siodhach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Most likely related to the word "peace". Compare Siochain "peace" and Siodhachain
Sidheag
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Scottish
Pronounced: SHEE-ak
Derived from sidheach meaning "wolf".
Shannon
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ən
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient"
[1]. As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Sequana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Celtic (Latinized), Celtic Mythology
Latinized form of the Gaulish (Celtic) name Sicauna, which is argued to mean "sacred river" or "the fast flowing one". This was the name of the Gallo-Roman goddess of the River Seine.
Senovara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Celtic (Latinized)
Romanized Celtic name, in which the first element is ultimately from the Indo-European root *sen meaning "old" (the second element, uaro, is uncertain, possibly meaning "war"). It was found scratched onto a metal "curse tablet" (c.2nd-century) at the temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath (Somerset, South West England). The masculine form Senovarus is also attested.
Senara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Pronounced: ze-NAH-rah
From the name of the patron saint of Zennor, a village in Cornwall, which is of obscure origin. Conceivably it may be derived from the Breton name
Azenor or the old Celtic
Senovara. According to local legend Saint Senara was originally Princess Azenor of Brest in Lower Brittany, the mother of Saint Budoc. She is also said to have been a mermaid before her conversion (though even after becoming a Christian, "she continued to pine for the sea"). This name was given to 52 girls born in England and Wales in the years 1916-2005.
Seiliegh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Celtic (Archaic)
Pronounced: SHAYLEE
A fairy name of the Aes Sídhe and pleasant people.
Séadna
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Séadna, also Séanna, is an Irish Gaelic personal name known mostly due to the popularity of the book Séadna, by Father Peadar Ua Laoghaire (occasionally known in English as Peter O'Leary), which was published in 1904. The story of Séadna, which concerns a cobbler who makes a deal with the devil, is thought to be an Irish folk tale related to the story of Faust.
Ruadh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish [1], Medieval Scottish
Pronounced: RWU(Irish)
Irish and Scottish Gaelic byname meaning "red", often a nickname for one with red hair. This was the nickname of the Scottish outlaw Raibeart Ruadh MacGregor (1671-1734), known as Rob Roy in English.
Ó Súileabháin
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O SOO-lyə-wan
Ó Ruadháin
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O RWU-an
Means
"descendant of Ruadhán" in Irish.
Ó Máille
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O MA-lyə
Means "descendant of a nobleman" from the Irish Gaelic mál.
Ó Catháin
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O KA-han
Mór-Ríoghain
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Morrígan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Means either
"demon queen" or
"great queen", derived from Old Irish
mor "demon, evil spirit" or
mór "great, big" combined with
rígain "queen". In Irish
mythology Morrígan (called also The Morrígan) was a goddess of war and death who often took the form of a crow.
Medb
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Pronounced: MEDHV(Old Irish)
Original Irish form of
Maeve.
Meallán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: MYA-lan
From Old Irish
Mellán, derived from
mell meaning either "pleasant, delightful" or "lump, ball" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of a few early
saints.
Mealla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Irish
Maolanaithe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Pronounced: meel-ON-a-ha
From Gaelic Maol Anfaidh meaning "devotee of the storm", from maol "bald, tonsured one" (later "as of someone who is devoted to God") and anfadh "tempest, storm". This was the name of a saint.
Mallory
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAL-ə-ree
From Old French
maloret meaning
"unfortunate, unlucky", a term introduced to England by the
Normans.
Mallory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAL-ə-ree
From an English surname that meant "unfortunate" in Norman French. It first became common in the 1980s due to the American sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989), which featured a character by this name.
Máire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: MA-ryə
Irish form of
Maria (see
Mary). The form
Muire is used to refer to the Virgin Mary.
Lugus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gaulish Mythology (Hypothetical)
Possibly from one of the Indo-European roots *
lewk- "light, brightness", *
lewg- "dark" or *
lewgh- "oath". This was the name of a Celtic (Gaulish) god of commerce and craftsmanship, who was equated by the Romans with
Mercury. He probably forms the basis for the characters and names of
Lugh (Irish) and
Lleu (Welsh).
Lugorix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Celtic
Derived from Celtic
lugu "light" combined with Celtic
rix "king." The first element of the name might also refer to the Celtic god
Lugus or
Lugh.
Lugh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Probably an Irish form of
Lugus. In Irish
mythology Lugh Lámfada was a divine hero who led the Tuatha Dé Danann against his grandfather
Balor and the Fomorians. Lugh killed Balor by shooting a stone into his giant eye.
Lubitiata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gaulish
Derived from Gaulish lubitiata, itself the past participle of lubi- "to love".
Lovernisca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Celtic (Latinized)
Romanized Celtic name meaning "vixen", derived from Brythonic *louernos "fox".
Litogena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gaulish
Derived from Gaulish litu- "festival, celebration, feast" and the Proto-Celtic name element *genos "born; family".
Liam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French (Modern), Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Pronounced: LYEEM(Irish) LEE-əm(English) LYAM(French) LEE-yahm(Dutch)
Irish short form of
William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).
Gwynedd
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the name of the kingdom of Gwynedd, which was located in northern Wales from the 5th century. It is now the name of a Welsh county. The name may be related to Old Irish
Féni meaning "Irish people", itself possibly related to the Celtic root *
wēnā meaning "band of warriors"
[1].
Forgall
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Perhaps related to Irish
forgella "testifies". In Irish legend he was the father of
Emer, nicknamed "the cunning, dextrous, wily". The Wily Lord of Lusca tried to prevent his daughter marrying
Cúchulainn and, rather than face the champion's wrath, leapt to his death from the ramparts of his fortress.
Fiadh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Modern)
Pronounced: FYEE
Means "wild, wild animal, deer" (modern Irish fia) or "respect" in Irish.
Fiacha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Derived from Old Irish fïach "raven". This name was borne by several High Kings of Ireland.
Ffion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: FEE-awn, FI-awn
Means "foxglove" in Welsh (species Digitalis purpurea). This is a recently created Welsh name.
Fáelán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1]
Erin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: EHR-in(English)
Anglicized form of
Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.
Epona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gaulish Mythology
Derived from Gaulish epos meaning "horse" with the divine or augmentative suffix -on. This was the name of a Gaulish goddess of horses and fertility. She was worshipped not only in Gaul, but elsewhere in the Roman Empire.
Enfys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHN-vis
Means "rainbow" in Welsh. This name was first used in the 19th century.
Emer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EE-mər(English)
Meaning unknown. In Irish legend she was the wife of
Cúchulainn. She was said to possess the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, needlework, wisdom and chastity.
Eirlys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AYR-lis
Means
"snowdrop (flower)" in Welsh, a compound of
eira "snow" and
llys "plant".
Éireann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: EH-ryən
From
Éireann, the genitive case of Irish Gaelic
Éire, meaning "Ireland". It is commonly Anglicized as
Erin.
Éire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Irish (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: I-ra(English)
Eimhir
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of
Emer.
Éimhear
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EH-vyər(Irish)
Modern Irish form of
Emer.
Dylan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: DUL-an(Welsh) DIL-ən(English)
From the Welsh prefix
dy meaning "to, toward" and
llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Dylan was a son of
Arianrhod and the twin brother of
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle
Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.
Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.
Dáire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: DA-ryə(Irish)
Means
"fruitful, fertile" in Irish. This name is borne by many figures in Irish legend, including the Ulster chief Dáire mac Fiachna who reneged on his promise to loan the Brown Bull of Cooley to
Medb, starting the war between Connacht and Ulster as told in the Irish epic
The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Conor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: KAHN-ər(English)
Conchobar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1], Irish Mythology
Derived from Old Irish
cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive
con) and
cobar "desiring". It has been in use in Ireland for centuries and was the name of several Irish rulers. It was borne by the Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa, one of the central characters in the Ulster Cycle of Irish
mythology, known for his tragic desire for
Deirdre and his war with Queen
Medb of Connacht.
Ciardha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish
Irish byname derived from ciar meaning "black".
Celyn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"holly" in Welsh. It appears briefly in the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen [1], belonging to a son of Caw, but was not typically used as a given name until the 20th century.
Catrin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, German
Pronounced: KAT-rin(Welsh) ka-TREEN(German)
Cathán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Derived from Old Irish
cath "battle" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Saint Cathán was a 6th-century Irish monk, a missionary to the Isle of Bute.
Carey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHR-ee
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of
Ó Ciardha, which is a patronymic derived from the given name
Ciardha.
Caoimhe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: KEE-vyə
Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".
Caine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish (Anglicized), English
Pronounced: KAYN(Irish)
Caerwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Derived from the Welsh elements
caer "fortress" and
gwyn "white, blessed".
Cáel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
From Old Irish
cáel meaning
"slender". In Irish legend Cáel was a warrior of the Fianna and the lover of Créd.
Cadi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Bryn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIN(English)
Means
"hill, mound" in Welsh. In Wales it is almost always a masculine name, though elsewhere in the English-speaking world it can be unisex (see
Brynn).
Braonán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Derived from Old Irish
bráen "rain, moisture, drop" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Brangen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Derived from the Archaic or Primitive Irish ᚁᚏᚐᚅᚑᚌᚓᚅᚔ (Branogeni) meaning "raven clan".
Blanda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gaulish
Derived from Gaulish *blando- "soft, sweet" (referring to speaking with a soft or sweet voice).
Beollán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish, Medieval Irish
Derived from Old Irish beoll "(glowing) fire" and the diminutive suffix -án. Beollán mac Ciarmaic (died 969) was a king of Brega.
Arwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the Welsh intensifying prefix
ar- and
gwyn meaning
"white, blessed".
Artebudz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Celtic
Possibly means "bear penis" in Noric.
Aoife
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EE-fyə(Irish)
From Old Irish
Aífe, derived from
oíph meaning
"beauty" (modern Irish
aoibh). This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a woman at war with
Scáthach (her sister in some versions). She was defeated in single combat by the hero
Cúchulainn, who spared her life on the condition that she bear him a child (
Connla). Another legendary figure by this name appears in the
Children of Lir as the jealous third wife of
Lir.
This name is sometimes Anglicized as Eve or Eva.
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