Girl's name

Gormlaith

“GORM-la”

gorm + flaith, 'illustrious princess' (gorm here 'splendid' rather than 'blue')

GormleyGormflaith

The story behind the name

Gormlaith, daughter of the king of Leinster, married in turn the Norse king of Dublin, the high king Máel Sechnaill, and Brian Boru — and, the sagas say, urged her son Sitric to war at Clontarf. Few names sit so exactly at the centre of a battle.

Its age Associated with 1014 — Kings with Opposition. See Ireland in that year on the atlas ↗

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Gormlaith?

Gormlaith is pronounced “GORM-la”. Irish has three main dialect groups (Ulster, Connacht and Munster) and many names are said differently in each. The respellings here give the pronunciation most commonly heard in Irish English; where a well-known variant exists, both are shown.

What does the name Gormlaith mean?

Gormlaith means gorm + flaith, 'illustrious princess' (gorm here 'splendid' rather than 'blue').

Is Gormlaith a boy's or a girl's name?

Gormlaith is traditionally a girl's name in Ireland.

How else is Gormlaith spelled?

Other spellings and equivalents include Gormley, Gormflaith. Irish names were written down by English-speaking clerks for centuries, which is why so many spellings survive for one name.

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