Boy's name
Mathúin
“MA-hoon”
IPA: /mˠaˈhuːnʲ/
'a bear'
Why it is said that way
th is h, and the fada on the u makes it long: MA-hoon.
- th → h — never the English th
- á é í ó ú (the fada) → a long vowel — and never optional
The story behind the name
Brian Boru's elder brother, king of Munster before him, was Mathghamhain. Common among the O'Briens and O'Connors, and now almost entirely hidden behind Matthew, which it has nothing to do with.
Where the name belongs
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