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 ...

in the Irish and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

languages. The name is ancient in the Irish language and is also seen in the rendered

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

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, Spa ...

, 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, Ruler of Tara ca. 227-266 *

Cormac Cond Longas Cormac Cond Longas (Connlongas, Connloinges, "Exiled Prince") was the eldest son of Conchobar mac Nessa by his own mother, Ness, in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His foster father was Fergus mac Róich. Cormac followed Fergus into exile in ...

, exiled prince of Ulster from

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later Early Irish ...

* 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 ...

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, 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 Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his g ...

, American novelist * Cormac Breslin, Irish politician *

Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British cardinal, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He sub ...

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, t ...

and Archbishop of Westminster * Cormac Antram (1926-2013), also known as Father Cormac, American priest and expert on the

Navajo language Navajo or Navaho (; Navajo: or ) is a Southern Athabaskan language of the Na-Dené family, through which it is related to languages spoken across the western areas of North America. Navajo is spoken primarily in the Southwestern United Stat ...

Cormac Costello Cormac Costello (born 18 July 1994) is a Gaelic football forward for the Dublin county team, with which he has won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and four National Football League medals. The former Ardscoil Rís studen ...

, 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, 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