Boy's name
Aodh
“AY (also EE)”
'fire' — the name of a pagan fire-deity
Why it is said that way
The dh is silent, leaving a single long vowel: AY. It means fire, and it is the root behind Hughes, Hayes and McHugh.
- dh, gh → silent, or a soft y at the start
The story behind the name
One of the oldest and most royal names in Ireland, anglicised, quite arbitrarily, as Hugh. Aodh Mór Ó Néill (Hugh O'Neill) fought England to a standstill in the Nine Years' War; Aodh Rua Ó Domhnaill (Red Hugh O'Donnell) escaped Dublin Castle through a snowstorm to join him.
Surnames built on this name
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