Cathal

Cathal
Gender Masculine
Language(s) Irish, English, Scottish Gaelic
Origin
Language(s) Celtic
Derivation cath + val
Meaning "battle" + "ruler"
Other names
See also Cathal, Cathel, Charles, Kathel

Cathal is a masculine given name in the Irish, Scottish Gaelic and English languages. The name is derived from two Celtic elements: the first, cath, means "battle"; the second element, val, means "rule".[1] The Gaelic name has several Anglicised forms, such as Cathal,[2] Cathel,[3] and Kathel.[4] It has also been Anglicised as Charles,[4] although this name is of an entirely different origin as it is derived from a Germanic element, karl, meaning "free man".[5]

As is obvious from the list below, the name was in medieval times most popular in Ireland's two western provinces, Munster and Connacht.

People with the name

See also

References

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 343, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1 
  2. ^ Mark, Colin (2006), The Gaelic-English Dictionary, London: Routledge, p. 714, ISBN 0-203-22259-8 
  3. ^ Maceachen, Ewan (1922), Maceachen's Gaelic-English Dictionary (4, revised and enlarged ed.), The Northern Counties Newspaper and Printing and Publishing Company, pp. 467–469, http://www.archive.org/details/gaelicenglishdic00mace 
  4. ^ a b MacFarlane, Malcolm (1912), The School Gaelic Dictionary prepared for the use of learners of the Gaelic language, Stirling: Eneas Mackay, p. 144, http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924026841043 
  5. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 52, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1