Erin is a

Hiberno-English Hiberno-English (from Latin ''Hibernia'': "Ireland"), and in ga, Béarla na hÉireann. or Irish English, also formerly Anglo-Irish, is the set of English dialects native to the island of Ireland (including both the Republic of Ireland a ...

word for Ireland originating from the Irish word ''"Éirinn"''. "Éirinn" is the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland, "Éire", genitive "Éireann", the dative being used in prepositional phrases such as ''"go hÉirinn"'' "to Ireland", ''"in Éirinn"'' "in Ireland", ''"ó Éirinn''" "from Ireland". The dative has replaced the nominative in a few regional Irish dialects (particularly Galway-Connemara and Waterford). Poets and nineteenth-century Irish nationalists used ''Erin'' in English as a

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

name for Ireland. Often, "Erin's Isle" was used. In this context, along with Hibernia, Erin is the name given to the female

personification Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their b ...

of Ireland, but the name was rarely used as a given name, probably because no

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

, queens, or literary figures were ever called Erin. According to Irish mythology and folklore, the name was originally given to the island by the Milesians after the goddess '' Ériu''. The phrase Erin go bragh ("Éire go brách" in standard orthography, dative "in Éirinn go brách" "in Ireland forever"), a slogan associated with the

United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...

, is often translated as "Ireland forever".

Usage as a given or family name

As a

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 ...

, Erin is used for both sexes, although, given its origins, it is principally used as a feminine forename. It first became a popular given name in the United States. Its US popularity for males peaked in 1974 with 321 boys registered with the name. ''Erin'' is also a name for Ireland in

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

, and is one of the 20 most popular girls' names in Wales. As a

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

, Erin has been used as one of the many spellings of the name of the Scottish clan "Irwin"—which was involved in the Scottish

Plantations of Ireland Plantations in 16th- and 17th-century Ireland involved the confiscation of Irish-owned land by the English Crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from Great Britain. The Crown saw the plantations as a means of controlling, angl ...

. However, that name was originally derived from the place of the same name near

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

, and means "green water", from Brittonic ''ir afon''.Behind the Name: Search Results
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People

Females

* Erin Andrews (born 1978), American sports reporter * Erin Anttila (born 1977), Irish-Finnish singer, better known by her mononym Erin * Erin Babcock (1981–2020), Canadian politician * Erin Bell (born 1987), Australian former netball player *

Erin Bethea Erin Bethea (born August 12, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for appearing in Sherwood Pictures' films, '' Facing the Giants'' and '' Fireproof''. She most recently wrote, produced and starred in the film '' New Life''. Background Bet ...

(born 1982), American actress * Erin Boag (born 1975), New Zealand ballroom dancer * Erin Brockovich (born 1960), American legal clerk and environmental activist and subject of the movie of the same name * Erin Burnett (born 1976), American news anchor and reporter * Erin Calipari American pharmacologist *

Erin Davis Erin Davis is the author of the book ''Mourning Has Broken: Love, Loss and Reclaiming Joy'' (HarperCollins, 2019) and a former media figure in Toronto, Ontario. A 2020 inductee into the Canadian Broadcasting Hall of Fame, she was the longtime ho ...

Canadian Broadcaster and author * Grey DeLisle (born 1973), American voice actress and recording artist, real name Erin Grey van Oosbree * Erin Fitzgerald (born 1972) Canadian-American voice actress * Erin Gray (born 1950), American actress *

Erin Gruwell Erin Gruwell (born August 15, 1969) is an American teacher known for her unique teaching method, which led to the publication of ''The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them ...

(born 1969), American teacher * Erin Heatherton (born 1989), American fashion model * Erin Hunter, pseudonym used by the authors of the ''Warriors'' and ''Seekers'' series *

Erin Kelly Erin Kelly (born August 21, 1981) is an American film, theater and television actress, best known for her role as Annabelle Tillman in Katherine Brooks' 2006 film ''Loving Annabelle''. Career Kelly has collaborated with director Katherine Bro ...

(born 1981), American actress * Erin McKean (born 1971), American lexicographer * Erin Moran (1960–2017), American actress * Erin Moriarty (born 1994), American actress * Erin Morgenstern (born 1978), American writer *

Erin O'Connor Erin O'Connor, MBE (born 9 February 1978) is a British fashion model. Early life O'Connor was born and brought up in Brownhills, West Midlands, where she attended Brownhills Community School. She was brought up Catholic and her father is fr ...

(born 1978), British model * Erin Phillips (born 1985), Australian former basketball player and Australian rules footballer * Erin Pizzey (born 1939), author and founder of the first domestic violence shelter in the modern world * Erin Richards (born 1986), Welsh actress * Erin Sanders (born 1991), American actress *

Erinn Smart Erinn Smart (born January 12, 1980Erinn Smart
, USA Fencing. Accessed July 27, 2012.) is an American fen ...

(born 1980), American fencer *

Erin Spanevello Erin Jean Maria Spanevello (April 27, 1987 – May 28, 2008) was a Canadians, Canadian fashion model active in the late 2000s before dying from a drug overdose at the age of 21. Born of Austrian and Italian descent in British Columbia in 1987, Spa ...

(1987–2008), Canadian fashion model * Erin Wall (1975–2020), Canadian operatic soprano

Males

* Erin Henderson (born 1986), American football linebacker *

Erin Clark Erin Clark (born 6 September 1997) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. Clark previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League. Background Born i ...

(born 1997), Samoa league footballer *

Erin Weir Erin M. K. Weir (born 1982) is a Canadian politician from Saskatchewan. From 2015 until 2019, he was Member of Parliament for the riding of Regina—Lewvan. Weir initially sat as a member of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) but was ex ...

, Canadian Member of Parliament for the riding of Regina—Lewvan * Erin Cossey (born 1971), New Zealand Maori rugby union player *

Erin O'Toole Erin Michael O'Toole (born January 22, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Durham since 2012. A member of the Conservative Party, O'Toole served as the party's leader and the leader of the Offici ...

(born 1973), Canadian politician *

Erin Pinheiro Erin Gomes Pinheiro (born 15 July 1997) is a Cape Verdean footballer who plays as a midfielder. Pinheiro holds a French passport. Club career Pinheiro is a youth exponent from Saint-Étienne. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 28 October 2015 against ...

(born 1997), Cape Verdean footballer

Fiction

* Dr. Erin Mears, a character who is an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the " Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" from the film, " Contagion (2011 film)", played by "

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

" * Erin, a character in 1986 American fantasy drama film '' The Boy Who Could Fly'' * Erin, a character in ''The Simpsons'' episode "

Summer of 4 Ft. 2 "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series, ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 19, 1996.. In the episode, the Simpson ...

", voiced by Christina Ricci * Erin, protagonist of Nahoko Uehashi's light novel, manga, and anime series 獣の奏者エリン (''

Kemono no Sōja is a Japanese novel series written by Nahoko Uehashi and published by Kodansha between 2006 and 2009. It focuses on a girl who can control the greatest of beasts as she gets involved in a war between two territories of one kingdom. The seri ...

Erin'') * Erin Driscoll, a character in U.S. thriller ''24'' *

Erin Esurance Esurance Insurance Services, Inc. is an American insurance company. It sells auto, home, motorcycle, and renters insurance direct to consumers online and by phone. Founded in 1999, the company was acquired by Allstate in 2011. History Esurance ...

, formerly the Esurance mascot * Erin Hannon, a character in U.S. sitcom ''The Office'' * Erin Noble, a character in British television series '' Young Dracula'' * Erin Quinn, protagonist of Northern Irish sitcom '' Derry Girls'' *

Erin Silver Erin Silver, known mononymously as Silver, is a fictional character on The CW television series '' 90210'', the fourth series in the ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' franchise. Portrayed by Jessica Stroup, the character was originally introduced in ' ...

, a character in American television franchise '' Beverly Hills, 90210'' * Erin Strauss, the former BAU Section Chief from the U.S. drama series ''Criminal Minds'' * Erin Ulmer, a character from '' Final Destination 3'' * Erin Walton, a character from '' The Waltons'' * Eirin Yagokoro, a character from ''

Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by one-man independent Japanese ''doujin'' soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. Since 1995, the team's member, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed ...

References

{{National personifications English feminine given names Geographic history of Ireland Given names Irish feminine given names Irish mythology