Boy's name
Tadhg
“TYGE ('tiger' without the -er)”
'poet' or 'philosopher'
Why it is said that way
The dh is silent, which leaves a t, a long vowel and a g: TYGE, rhyming with nine plus a g. It is not tad-ge.
- dh, gh → silent, or a soft y at the start
The story behind the name
So common in Gaelic Ireland that 'Teague' became an English slur for an Irishman — the way 'Paddy' later would. Its real meaning is poet, and it was borne by a son of Brian Boru and by generations of O'Briens and MacCarthys.
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