Eochaidh, Eochaí, Echuid, Echaid, Echaidh, Eocho, Echid, Eochy
[Irish, horse-rider (?), fighter on horseback (?), horse of conquest (?)]
Eochu is a diminutive, and although the two forms are hopelessly confused in early manuscripts, some figures may be known only as Eochaid, some only as Eochu, and many may be known as both. Eochaid and Eochu together represent the second most common name in early Irish society; the thousands of bearers include kings, warriors, bards, and saints. Nevertheless, Eoin MacNeill (1921) asserted that all Eochaids of myth and legend, despite different epithets, are all either identical or have borrowed each other's qualities to become composites. The best-known bearers of the name are probably Eochaid Airem, the lover of Étaín, and Eochaid mac Eirc, the Fir Bolg chieftain.
