Boy's name

Setanta

“SHAY-dan-ta”

possibly linked to the Setantii, a British tribe

Sétanta
The story behind the name

The birth-name of Cú Chulainn. As a boy he killed the smith Culann's guard-dog in self-defence and offered to guard the house himself until a pup was reared — and so became Cú Chulainn, 'the Hound of Culann'.

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