Tadhg is an Irish name that was very common in the past, especially in the 17th century, but had become extremely rare
by the 20th century. This was also the name of an 11th-century king of Connacht. Tadhg is most common in south-west Ireland,
particularly in County Cork and County Kerry.
The name has enjoyed a surge in popularity recently, becoming the 69th most common name for baby boys in 2005 according to the
Central Statistics Office in Ireland.[1]
Pronunciation
Tadhg is from the Irish language. The adh is a diphthong that is pronounced like the i in the English word Tiger. In fact, the name itself is pronounced as
if pronouncing Tiger and dropping the er.
Spelling
There was originally no "h" in the Irish language; it was added to fit the modern Roman alphabet. Tadhg was originally
spelled as "Taḋg" in the Irish Uncial alphabet with a dot over the "d" to
indicate it is lenited. "Tadg" is often seen as a spelling for "Tadhg" and has been popularly
anglicized as "Tighe". Other examples can be found with the spellings of "Tadgh" as well as the even more uncommon one of
"Tadhgh".
Meaning
The commonly accepted meaning of Tadhg is "poet." There is an alternative view that the "poet" interpretation is wrong and the
name actually means "weaver."
When Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, many Irish names and place-names were given English meanings. Tadhg is
often thought to be the Irish equivalent of the English name Timothy, though the two names are
completely unrelated.
References
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