Cormac is a masculine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

in the Irish and English languages. The name is ancient in the Irish language and is also seen in the rendered Old Norse as ''Kormákr''. Mac is Irish for "son", and can be used as either a prefix or a suffix. The derivation of "cor" is not so clear. The most popular speculation is that it is from "corb," the old Irish for wheel, perhaps designating someone who fought in a cart or chariot as male names are often derived from order of battle. (For instance "Gary, Garth, etc., from "gar" for "spear.") However, some etymologies suggest it derives from the old Irish for "raven", a bird laden with mystical meaning for the Celts, and often used to mean "legend" or "legendary". Similarly, it might refer specifically to

Corb Corb or CORB may refer to: Figures in Irish mythology and legendary history: *Corb (mythology), a Fomorian *Mug Corb, sometimes called Mac Corb, a High King *Fer Corb, a High King, son of Mug Corb Others: *Corb (river), a river in Catalonia, Spain ...

, one of the legendary Fomorians of Irish mythology. Today the name is typically listed in baby names books as meaning "raven" or "legend" or sometimes as "charioteer".

People with the name

Cormac * Cormac Mac Airt, semi-historical

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

, Ruler of Tara ca. 227-266 * Cormac Cond Longas, exiled prince of Ulster from Irish mythology * Cormac of Armagh (c.430 - 17 February 497), Archbishop of

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

diocese and Abbot of Armagh monastery, Ireland from 481 to 17 February 497 * Cormac mac Cuilennáin, ninth-century bishop and king * Cormac of Dunkeld ca. 1114–1131, Bishop of Dunkeld *

Cormac Mac Carthaigh Cormac is a masculine given name in the Irish and English languages. The name is ancient in the Irish language and is also seen in the rendered Old Norse as ''Kormákr''. Mac is Irish for "son", and can be used as either a prefix or a suffix. ...

, Bishop and King of Cashel, ? -1388 * Cormac Láidir MacCarthy (1411-1494), Irish Chieftain, discoverer of the Blarney Stone and builder of Blarney Castle. * Cormac McCarthy, American novelist * Cormac Breslin, Irish politician * Cormac Murphy-O'Connor,

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

and

Archbishop of Westminster The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

* Cormac Antram (1926-2013), also known as Father Cormac, American priest and expert on the Navajo language * Cormac Costello, Gaelic football player *

Cormac Ua Liatháin Cormac Ua Liatháin was a 6th-century Irish saint who is only known from Adomnan of Iona's ''Vita Columbae''. In Adomnan's narrative, Cormac gets mentioned three times. Cormac appeared to be a kind of anchorite monk who searched for islands on ...

, Irish saint Kormákr * Kormákr Ögmundarson the

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...

, hero of ''

Kormáks saga ''Kormáks saga'' () is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The saga was probably written during the first part of the 13th century. Though the saga is believed to have been among the earliest sagas composed it is well preserved. The unknown author cle ...

References

{{given name English-language masculine given names Irish-language masculine given names

People with the name

See also

References