Girl's name
Gráinne
“GRAWN-ya”
IPA: /ˈɡɾˠɑːɲɪ/
uncertain; long linked to grán, 'grain', and to a grain-goddess figure
Why it is said that way
GRAWN-ya. The nn is slender before the e, which is what gives the ny sound at the end.
The story behind the name
In the Fenian Cycle, Gráinne is promised to the ageing Fionn mac Cumhaill and elopes with the young Diarmaid instead — pursued the length of Ireland, which is why so many dolmens are called 'the bed of Diarmaid and Gráinne'. History's Gráinne is Gráinne Mhaol (Grace O'Malley), the pirate queen of Mayo.
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