Boy's name
Calbhach
“KAL-vakh”
'bald'
Why it is said that way
bh is v and the final ch is the loch sound: KAL-vakh.
- bh, mh → v — or w in the middle of a word
- ch → the back-of-the-throat sound in loch — not ch as in church
The story behind the name
Once common among the O'Connors of Offaly, the O'Carrolls of Éile, the O'Molloys, O'Donnells and O'Reillys — usually written An Calbhach, 'the bald one', with the article kept. Now generally anglicised Charles.
Where the name belongs
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