Eithne

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Eithne is a female personal name of Irish origin. In Irish, th is pronounced like an English h, so the correct Irish pronunciation is /'ɛhnʲə/ - hence the musician Eithne Ní Bhraonáin anglicising her name as Enya. However, the name is also used by non-Irish speakers, and is sometimes pronounced /'ɛθnə/.

The name is popular in Ireland, and (especially in earlier variants like Ethniu, Ethliu, Ethlinn and a variety of other spellings - see below) is borne by a variety of historical and legendary figures, including:

Medieval

  • Ethniu, daughter of Balor and mother of Lug in Irish mythology
  • Eithne, daughter of the king of Alba, wife of the High King Fiacha Finnfolaidh and mother of Tuathal Teachtmhar
  • Eithne, the mother of Saint Columba
  • Eithne and Sodelb, Leinster saints

Modern

  • Enya Brennan (EithneNí Bhraonáin), musician
  • Eithne Farry, former literary editor of Elle
  • Eithne Fitzgerald, Irish economist and former Labour Party politician.
  • LÉ Eithne (P31), a ship in the Irish Naval Service
  • Eithne Walls, a physician and former dancer, who danced with the popular Riverdance group on Broadway, died on the Air France Flight 447 crash on June 1, 2009.

Other spellings and earlier forms include: Ethnea, Ethlend, Ethnen, Ethlenn, Ethnenn, Eithene, Ethne, Aithne, Enya, Áine (sometimes a separate name), Ena, Edna, Etney, Eithnenn, Eithlenn, Eithna, Ethni, Edlend, Edlenn.

Eithne is considered by some sources to be the feminine cognate of the name Aidan.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Macleod, Iseabail and Freedman, Terry: The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Wordsworth Editions, 1995, ISBN 1-85326-366-4, p.74.
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