Boy's name
Cárthach
“KAR-hakh”
'loving'
Why it is said that way
Both of the h-pairs, doing different jobs: the th is a plain h, the ch is the loch sound. KAR-hakh.
- th → h — never the English th
- ch → the back-of-the-throat sound in loch — not ch as in church
- á é í ó ú (the fada) → a long vowel — and never optional
The story behind the name
The root of MacCarthy (Mac Cárthaigh, 'son of the loving one') the great dynasty of Desmond who descended from the Eóganacht kings of Cashel and built Blarney Castle.
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