How popular is the baby name Conall in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Conall.
Which names were the most popular among males in early medieval Ireland?
To find out, researcher Heather Rose Jones compiled a list of the most-used male names in the book Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae, “a collection of Irish genealogical material from the pre-Norman period (i.e., roughly pre-12th century).”
The 10 most-used names were…
- Áed, 248 instances
- Óengus/Áengus, 191
- Ailill, 145
- Fergus, 140
- Eochaid, 130
- Lugaid, 129
- Domnall, 120
- Cairpre, 109
- Conall, 108
- Cormac, 105
It’s pretty interesting that Áed came out on top, as Áed is the ultimate root of the Aidan-names (e.g. Ayden, Aedan, Adyn) that became so trendy during the first decade of the 2000s.
Other names in Ireland’s medieval top 100 include Crimthann, Crundmáel, Indrechtach, and Imchad. Click the link below to see the rest.
Source: 100 Most Popular Men’s Names in Early Medieval Ireland by Heather Rose Jones
Image by kidmoses from Pixabay
The last native speaker of Manx Gaelic — a fisherman named Ned — died in the mid-1970s.
Since then, one of the ways the Isle of Man has attempted to keep the Manx language alive is through baby names.
In mid-2003, the government released a short booklet, “Some Manx First Names” (pdf), to encourage expectant parents to give their babies traditional Manx names.
In recent years there has been an increase in the use of Manx names but often prospective parents were only aware of the more common names. The booklet includes the more popular names, for example Juan (well born) for a boy and Breeshey (shining) for a girl and less commonly used names for example Fintan (a little fair one) for a boy and Blaa (flower) for a girl.
I have yet to see any Manx names at the top of the Isle of Man rankings (e.g., 2020), but perhaps they’ll get there one day.
In the meanwhile, here’s a sampling of names from the booklet. The booklet’s original definitions are in quotes, and I’ve added some extra info in parentheses.
Male Manx Names
- Austeyn, “venerable” (form of Augustine)
- Conylt/Conal, “love” (form of Conall, “strong wolf”)
- Finlo, “fair Scandinavian” (form of Finlugh, possibly “fair Lugh“)
- Gilno/Dilno, “saint’s servant” (from the Manx words for “servant,” guilley, and “saint,” noo)
- Mayl, “like God [Michael]”
- Ramsey, “place name” (Ramsey is the Isle of Man’s second-largest town; “wild garlic island” in Old English)
- Stoill, “with a will” (I can’t figure out the derivation here)
Female Manx Names
- Aalid/Aelid, “beauty” (from the Manx word for “beauty,” aalid)
- Ailstreena, “feminine of Alister” (both come from Alexander, “defending men”)
- Creena, “wise” (from the Manx word for “wise,” creeney)
- Malane, “magnificent [Madeline]” (form of Magdalene, “of Magdala“)
- Onnee, “grace [Annie]”
- Renny, “a fern” (from the Manx word for “fern,” rhennee)
- Vorana, “great” (I can’t figure out the derivation here either)
Do you like any of these names?
Sources: A Manx name for your baby (2005), Behind the Name