Erin

Erin is a Hiberno-English derivative of Irish Gaelic Éirinn, the dative case - and also locative case - of Éire, the Irish word for "Ireland".^[1] Poets and also 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), "Let Erin Remember". Erin has also been used as a poetic name for peace. 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), often heard during St. Patrick's Day, 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", as well as "West", as Ireland lay to the geographic west of Scotland. ^[2]

Erin is a popular modern name for both sexes, though much more so for females than for males. Alternatively spelled as Eren, Eryn, Erynn, Eirinn, Ehren, Aeryn, Eiryne, Eireann, Eron, Aaron, Aron, and Aren.

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.^[3] However their name was originally derived from the place of the same name near Dumfries and means "green water" from Brittonic ir afon. ^{[4] [5]}

References

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