Boy's name

Adhamhnán

“EE-nan”

'little Adam'

AdomnánAdamnanEunan

Source: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923) ↗

The story behind the name

Adomnán (c. 624–704), abbot of Iona, wrote the Life of Columba, the most important surviving work written in early-medieval Scotland. He is patron of the diocese of Raphoe, where he is called Eunan. The written name has far more letters than the spoken one, which Wiktionary records in Ulster as EE-nan.

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Adhamhnán?

Adhamhnán is pronounced “EE-nan”. Irish has three main dialect groups (Ulster, Connacht and Munster) and many names are said differently in each. The respellings here give the pronunciation most commonly heard in Irish English; where a well-known variant exists, both are shown.

What does the name Adhamhnán mean?

Adhamhnán means 'little Adam'.

Is Adhamhnán a boy's or a girl's name?

Adhamhnán is traditionally a boy's name in Ireland.

How else is Adhamhnán spelled?

Other spellings and equivalents include Adomnán, Adamnan, Eunan. Irish names were written down by English-speaking clerks for centuries, which is why so many spellings survive for one name.

Related names

Ádhamh

Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z