Girl's name
Bébhinn
“BAY-vin”
'fair lady' or 'melodious woman'
Why it is said that way
Long é from the fada, then bh as v: BAY-vin.
- bh, mh → v — or w in the middle of a word
- á é í ó ú (the fada) → a long vowel — and never optional
The story behind the name
Borne by Brian Boru's mother and by several medieval princesses, and in the sagas by a giant woman of the Otherworld. It appears in Norse sources too, carried east by the sea-traffic between Dublin and Scandinavia.
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