Boy's name
Odhrán
“OH-rawn”
from odhar, 'dun, sallow, pale-brown' — 'little pale one'
Why it is said that way
The dh is silent, so the name is shorter than it looks: OH-rawn.
- dh, gh → silent, or a soft y at the start
- á é í ó ú (the fada) → a long vowel — and never optional
The story behind the name
St Odhrán was one of the twelve who sailed with Colmcille to Iona, and the first of them to die there; the island's oldest burial ground, Reilig Odhráin, where Scottish kings were laid, still carries his 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