The Book of Irish Names: First, Family and Place Names

by Ronan Coghlan, Ida Grehan, P.W. Joyce

Explains the origin, history, and meaning of Irish names, and shows Irish coats of arms

Genres: Reference, History, Ireland

Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

Reviews

[Tiffany Seward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reference | Irish Names | Name Meanings

• Plot:
The Book of Irish Names is a reference book/dictionary exploring Irish names & meanings. Rather than following a traditional narrative, the book is organized as a resource for readers who are curious about Irish names in a dictionary format.

• What I Liked:
I originally picked up this book because I was interested in two specific Irish names, and I was happy to find both of them included.

I also liked that the book gives readers a starting point for exploring Irish naming traditions. It's useful to have the names collected in one place rather than searching for each one individually.

• What Didn't Work for Me:
My biggest issue was that I expected the book to go into more detail about the names. The entries felt fairly surface-level, especially considering how much history and cultural background many Irish names have.

For the two names I was most interested in, I wanted more information about their historical usage, linguistic development, variations, and cultural associations. Instead, I found myself feeling like I got more information from a quick Google search.

I also would have liked more historical context explaining how certain names evolved and how their meanings changed over time.

• Themes / Ideas:
Irish culture, names, etymology, language, history, naming traditions, and cultural identity.

• Who I'd Recommend It To:
I'd recommend this to readers who are curious about the meanings and origins of Irish names, especially people researching a family name, choosing a name, or simply exploring Irish culture.

It's probably best approached as a quick reference book rather than an in-depth exploration of Irish naming history.

• Overall Thoughts:
The book works better as a starting point than as a comprehensive resource. If you're simply curious about what an Irish name means, you'll probably find what you're looking for. However, if you're interested in the deeper history behind a name, its origin, development, cultural significance, and historical usage, you may need to look elsewhere for more information.

Overall, it told me what I already knew & I was left wanting a deeper dive into the names themselves.

[Gwen Kubberness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for my genealogy research and it's very helpful.

[J.D. Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book does contain reference to other name origins (French, Norman, Latin, etc) this is in the section labelled "Irish First Names" - not a list of Irish origin names, but rather of first names used in Ireland. This does include names originating elsewhere, and it does note the frequency of use in Ireland for each including those names which have fallen out of fashion, sometimes a story about how the foreign name came into use there, are outdated, or names that are not actually names that had more interesting origins in fiction stories or epic poems and that people have decided to name their children after somewhere along the way.

There are other sections in the book that I find more personally helpful such as root words as well as a pronunciation guide. I do also appreciate along with the root words that the multiple modern Irish derivatives of the roots are noted.

Having spent a lot of time in research of Irish prehistory and mythology, I find the root word section helpful for fiction writing when I need to make up names from root words in the old way, combining nature elements to create a name, etc. I know they feel correct when I compare them with my research. The section for place names is also extremely useful for my own purposes.

I couldn't say if the heraldry section is spot-on, but it does go so far as to note and cross-reference derivatives of family names, provides background including usually the oldest use of the family name and in most cases includes several well-known individuals with the family name for reference. An interesting read at any rate.

For strict linguistic research, I'm not certain if this book would be comprehensive enough, but for a fiction writer who needs to become a 48-hour expert in naming things the pre-Celtic way, there's enough info in this book to point you in the right direction and use for continued reference. I bought my copy over 15 years ago and still use it today.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains sections on first names, family names, and place names.