Boy's name
Fáilbhe
“FAWL-va”
an ancient name; Woulfe records no meaning for it
Why it is said that way
Long á, and bh as v: FAWL-va.
- 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 fourteen Irish saints, which is a great many for a name almost nobody now uses.
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