Norman

Bodkin

Boidicín

“a nickname from a short dagger”

🏔 Galway · Gaillimh

The sept's historic heartland, highlighted. People moved — a name can be found far from home.

The story

The smallest of Galway's Tribes, FitzGeralds by blood renamed for a blade; their arms and vaults still line the city's medieval church of St Nicholas.

Their world Around 1493 — The Kildare Ascendancy. The English crown is too poor to govern Ireland directly, so it governs through the greatest of the Geraldines instead.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Boidicín
No prefix: the name stands on its own word.

Find this form in the Irish-to-English index → · What Ó and Mac actually mean

Is Bodkin an Irish name?

Bodkin came in with the Normans after 1169. That makes it an Irish surname — it has been one for over eight hundred years — but not a Gaelic one.

The five answers, and why it is rarely yes or no →

From Wikipedia — “Bodkin (surname)”

Bodkin is an Irish surname of Norman origin. It was one of the 14 merchant families that made up the Tribes of Galway. Notable people with the surname include:Amby Bodkin, Irish lawyer and duelist Archibald Bodkin (1862–1957), English lawyer and Director of Public Prosecutions Christopher Bodkin, Irish prelate, Archbishop of Tuam and Bishop of Kilmacduagh Dominic Fursey Bodkin (1843–1929), Irish-Australian Catholic priest Dominick Dáll Bodkin, Irish mass murderer Frances Bodkin, Australian botanist J.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Bermingham · Galway Blake · Galway Burke · Galway Cahill · Galway Canavan · Galway Clarke · Galway Concannon · Galway Conneely · Galway Connolly · Galway Cooney · Galway Costello · Galway Coyne · Galway Daly · Galway Darcy · Galway

Quick answers

Is Bodkin an Irish name?

Bodkin came in with the Normans after 1169. That makes it an Irish surname — it has been one for over eight hundred years — but not a Gaelic one. In Irish the name is Boidicín.

What does the surname Bodkin mean?

Bodkin (Irish: Boidicín) means “a nickname from a short dagger”. Origin: Norman.

Where in Ireland is the surname Bodkin from?

The historic homeland of the Bodkin name is Galway. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Bodkin?

Boidicín.

Looking for the Bodkin family crest? Read this first — arms belong to people, not surnames, and the honest version is more interesting. Tracing Bodkin ancestors? The step-by-step guide.

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