Erin is a Hiberno-English derivative of Irish “Éirinn,” the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland. The name originally derived from the name "Eireann" in Gaelic.^[1]

Poets and nineteenth-century Irish nationalists also used Erin in English as a romantic name for Ireland, as shown in the catchphrase (when speaking of Ireland's experiences with Britain and Denmark^[2]), “Let Erin Remember.” According to Irish mythology and folklore, the name was given to the land by the Milesians after the goddess Ériu. Erin go bragh (“Éirinn go brách” in standard orthography), a slogan dating from the 1798 revolution, means “Ireland forever.” The etymological history of the word as it drifted throughout the Gaelic region gave rise to its use by the early Scots to both mean Ireland and "west," as Ireland lies to the west of Scotland. ^[3]

Erin is a given name in the United States, sometimes for both sexes, although it is principally used as a female name. It first became a popular name in the United States, rather than in Ireland simply because no kings or queens were named Erin in history.

Erin has been used as one of the many spellings of the name of the Scottish Clan Irwin, which has been involved in the Scottish Plantations of Ireland.^[4] However, their name was originally derived from the place of the same name near Dumfries, and means "green water", from Brittonic ir afon. ^{[5] [6]}

Erin is also a name for Ireland in Welsh. It is one of the most popular girls' names in Wales.^[7]

References

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Erin". Image Credit.

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