Boy's name
Éibhear
“AY-ver”
of unknown origin
Why it is said that way
É is a long ay and bh is v, so AY-ver.
- 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
Common among the MacMahons of Ulster, and on Cape Clear island in Cork, where it was written Heber. In the north it went down as Ivor. In the origin legend, Éibhear and Éireamhón are the Milesian brothers who divided Ireland between them and then fought over it.
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