Tadhg, also Taḋg ( , ), (pronunciations given for the name ''Tadhg'' separately from those for the slang/pejorative ''Teague''.) commonly anglicized as "Taig" or "Teague", is an Irish and

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

masculine name that was very common when the

Goidelic languages The Goidelic ( ) or Gaelic languages (; ; ) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from Ireland through the Isle o ...

predominated, to the extent that it is a

synecdoche Synecdoche ( ) is a type of metonymy; it is a figure of speech that uses a term for a part of something to refer to the whole (''pars pro toto''), or vice versa (''totum pro parte''). The term is derived . Common English synecdoches include '' ...

for Irish-speaking man. The name signifies "poet" or "philosopher". This was also the name of many Gaelic Irish kings from the 10th to the 16th centuries, particularly in Connacht and Munster. Tadhg is most common in southwest Ireland, particularly in

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

and

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

. The name has had a surge in popularity in the early 21st century; As of 2000 it was the 92nd most common name for baby boys in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, according to the Central Statistics Office, rising to 69th by 2005. By 2022, it had risen to the 7th most common name for newly registered male births.

Etymology

The commonly accepted meaning of Tadhg is "poet"Babies' Names,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1995, , entry for "Tadhg" or "storyteller". The ultimate derivation is from the Celtic , who were poets in early Celtic society. In any case, the name is widely attested in Gaulish and early British names. When the whole of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, many Irish names and place-names were given English meanings. Due to similarity in sound, Tadhg is often listed as an Irish equivalent of the English-language names Timothy (Tim) or Thaddeus. The name is also spelled "Taḋg" in

Gaelic type Gaelic type (sometimes called Irish character, Irish type, or Gaelic script) is a family of Insular script typefaces devised for printing Early Modern Irish. It was widely used from the 16th century until the mid-18th century in Scotland and t ...

with an overdot over the ''d'' to indicate it is lenited; the "dh" serves a similar purpose in the modern spelling. Tadhg has been

anglicized Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as "Taihg", "Tighe" and "Teague". Alternative spellings include "Tadgh", "Tadhgh" and "Tadg".

Synecdoche

Tadhg is also a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...

and was once so common as an Irish name that it became synonymous with the typical Irishman in the same way that '' Paddy'' or '' Mick'' might be today. Hence, Irish phrases such as ' (lit: Tadhg of the market) or ' (lit: Tadhg of the street) are similar to the English language expression " average Joe" or "the

man on the street ( ) is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase (originally ''Vox populi, vox Dei'' – "The voice of the people is the voice of God") that literally means "voice of the people." It is used in English in the meaning "the opinion of the majority of ...

" The

anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

'' Taig'' (and formerly ''Teague'') has been used in English since the seventeenth century to refer to Irishmen. The Irish-language name is used defiantly in a Jacobite poem written in the 1690s: : Taig in

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

was used as an abusive and pejorative term by

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

loyalists to refer to

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

nationalists.

People with the name

Traditional

* Tadg mac Nuadat, a Druid in the

Fenian Cycle The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle () is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his Kóryos, warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the ...

, grandfather of Fionn mac Cumhail * Tadhg Ó Cuinn (), Irish scribe and author

Gaelic nobility

* Tadg mac Conchobair (died 900),

king of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named ...

* Tadg mac Cathail (died 956), king of Connacht * Tadg mac Conchobair (died 962),

king of Ailech The Kings of Ailech were the over-kings of the Medieval Ireland, medieval Irish Provinces of Ireland, province of Ailech in north-western Ireland. It encompassed the territories of the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill. After the battle of Cl ...

* Tadhg mac Muircheartach (died 971), king of Uí Díarmata * Tadhg Mór Ua Cellaigh (died 1014), king of Uí Maine * Tadc mac Briain (died 1023), contender for

king of Munster The kings of Munster () ruled the Kingdom of Munster in Ireland from its establishment during the Irish Iron Age until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earli ...

* Tadg in Eich Gil (died 1030), king of Connacht * Tadhg mac Muirchertach (''fl.'' 11th century), king of Moylurg * Tadg mac Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (died 1097), king of Connacht * Tadhg mac Muireadach Mac Cárthaigh (died 1123), king of Desmond * Tadhg Mor mac Maelruanaidh (died 1124), king of Moylurg * Tadhg Ua Cellaigh (abducted 1145), king of Uí Maine * Teige Ua Con Ceannainn (''fl.'' 1152), king of Uí Díarmata * Tadg Gláe macDiarmata Ó Briain (died 1154), claimed king of Desmond * Tadhg Cael Uisce Ó Briain (died 1269), tanist of Thomond * Tadhg mac Diarmata (died 1281), king of Moylurg * Tadhg Ó Cellaigh (died 1316), king of Uí Maine * Tadhg Óg Ó Cellaigh (died 1340), king of Uí Maine * Tadhg na gcoar Ó Ruairc (died 1376), king of West Breifne * Tadhg Ruadh Ó Cellaigh (died 1410), king of Uí Maine * Tadhg na Mainistreach Mac Carthaigh Mór (died 1428), king of Desmond * Tadhg Riabhach Ó Dubhda (died 1432), king of Ui Fiachrach Muaidhe * Tadhg mac Tigernán Mór Ó Ruairc (died 1435), king of West Breifne * Tadhg an Glemore Ó Briain (died 1438),

king of Thomond The kings of Thomond () ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could not hold onto all of ...

* Tadhg an Chomhaid Ó Briain (died 1466), king of Thomond * Tadhg mac Diarmaid Ó Máille (died 1467), king of Umaill * Tadhg Caech Ó Cellaigh (abdicated 1476), king of Uí Maine * Tadhg mac Diarmata (died 1499), king of Moylurg * Tadhg Liath Mac Carthaigh Mór (died 1503), king of Desmond * Tadhg na Leamhna Mac Cárthaigh (died 1514), claimed king of Desmond * Tadhg Ruadh mac Toirrdelbach (died 1553), king of Mide * Tadhg mac Brian Ballach Ó Ruairc (died 1560), king of West Breifne * Tadhg mac Diarmata (died 1585), king of Moylurg * Tadhg mac Briain na Murtha Ó Ruairc (died 1605), king of West Breifne

Recent

* Tadhg Cooke, Irish contemporary musician *

Tadhg Ó Donnchadha Tadhg Ó Donnchadha (1874 – 1949) was an Irish writer, poet, editor, translator and a prominent member of the Gaelic League (''Conradh na Gaeilge'') and the Gaelic Athletic Association. He was editor of ''Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge'' (The ...

(1874–1949), activist for the Gaelic League * Tadhg Furlong (born 1992), Irish rugby player * Tadhg Kennelly (born 1981), Gaelic and Australian Rules footballer * Tadhg Dall Ó hÚigínn (1550–1591), Irish poet murdered allegedly for writing a satirical poem which insulted a rival aristocratic family * Tadhg Purcell (born 1985), Irish soccer player * George MacDonald Fraser's 1977 novel '' Flashman's Lady'' features the comic character Daedalus Tighe, and John B. Keane's 1965 play '' The Field'', has a character named Tadhg McCabe.

References

External links

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