Boy's name
Aonghus
“AY-ngus (also EN-gus)”
'one choice' or 'one strength' — aon + gus
Why it is said that way
The gh is silent, so the ngh is just an ng: AY-ngus, and EN-gus is heard too.
- dh, gh → silent, or a soft y at the start
- ao → ee, or ay in Munster
The story behind the name
Aengus Óg, god of love and youth, lived at Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange), which he won from his father the Dagda by asking to stay 'a day and a night' — meaning all days and all nights. Yeats put him in 'The Song of Wandering Aengus'.
Where the name belongs
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