Cormac
Encyclopedia
Cormac is a masculine given name
in the Irish
and English
languages. The name is ancient in the Irish Gaelic
language, but its exact meaning and derivation remain unclear. The name is also seen in the rendered Old Norse
as Kormákr.
Mac is Gaelic for "son of," and can be sued 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 Gaelic for wheel, perhaps designating some one 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 Gaelic 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
, one of the legendary Fomorians
of Irish mythology. In recent years an etymological back formation has been popularized that suggests it means "son of corruption" or "son of defilement" from another Gaelic word also pronounced "corb" which meant "something is not right in the council" and referring specifically to political treachery or dishonesty, but this "corb" antedates the usage of the names Cormac by several centuries, and thus could not be related to the name. Today the name is typically listed in baby names books as meaning "raven" or "legend" or sometimes as "charioteer".
Kormákr
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
in the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
languages. The name is ancient in the Irish Gaelic
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels", including language and culture. As a noun, it may refer to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually.-Gaelic languages:...
language, but its exact meaning and derivation remain unclear. The name is also seen in the rendered Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
as Kormákr.
Mac is Gaelic for "son of," and can be sued 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 Gaelic for wheel, perhaps designating some one 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 Gaelic 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
In Irish mythology, Corb was one of the Fomorians, a semi-divine race who inhabited Ireland in ancient times....
, one of the legendary Fomorians
Fomorians
In Irish mythology, the Fomoire are a semi-divine race said to have inhabited Ireland in ancient times. They may have once been believed to be the beings who preceded the gods, similar to the Greek Titans. It has been suggested that they represent the gods of chaos and wild nature, as opposed to...
of Irish mythology. In recent years an etymological back formation has been popularized that suggests it means "son of corruption" or "son of defilement" from another Gaelic word also pronounced "corb" which meant "something is not right in the council" and referring specifically to political treachery or dishonesty, but this "corb" antedates the usage of the names Cormac by several centuries, and thus could not be related to the name. 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 AirtCormac mac AirtCormac mac Airt , also known as Cormac ua Cuinn or Cormac Ulfada , was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
, semi-historical High King of IrelandHigh King of IrelandThe High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, Ruler of Tara ca. 227-266 - Cormac Cond LongasCormac Cond LongasCormac Cond Longas was the eldest son of Conchobar mac Nessa by his own mother, Ness, in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
, exiled prince of UlsterUlaidThe Ulaid or Ulaidh were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster...
from Irish mythologyIrish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are... - Cormac mac CuilennáinCormac mac CuilennáinCormac mac Cuilennáin was an Irish bishop and was king of Munster from 902 until his death. He was killed fighting in Leinster, probably attempting to restore the fortunes of the kings of Munster by reimposing authority over that province.Cormac was regarded as a saintly figure after his death,...
, ninth-century bishop and king - Cormac of DunkeldCormac of DunkeldCormac, Bishop of Dunkeld is the earliest recorded Bishop of Dunkeld in the 12th century, although he was not the first bishop of Dunkeld. It is possible, that he was the first bishop of Dunkeld distinct from the abbot, but there is no evidence for this...
ca. 1114-1131, Bishop of DunkeldBishop of DunkeldThe Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Cormac... - Cormac Mac Carthaigh, Bishop and King of CashelCashelCashel is an Anglicised form of the Irish language word Caiseal, meaning "stone ringfort". Cashels were typically built on rocky outcrops.It has given its name to the following places:In Ireland:*Cashel, County Tipperary...
, ? -1388 - Cormac McCarthyCormac McCarthyCormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. He has written ten novels, spanning the Southern Gothic, Western, and modernist genres. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction for The Road...
, American novelist - Cormac BreslinCormac BreslinCormac Breslin was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was born in Gweedore, County Donegal. He was educated at St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny. He was first elected to the Dáil in 1937 as a Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal West. He was re-elected at every election until his retirement in 1977. He...
, Irish politician - Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, CardinalCardinal (Catholicism)A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
and Archbishop of WestminsterArchbishop of WestminsterThe Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the Metropolitan of the Province of Westminster and, as a matter of custom, is elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and therefore de facto spokesman... - Cormac Fahey, Irish legend and creator of the Mack Attack
Kormákr
- Kormákr ÖgmundarsonKormákr ÖgmundarsonKormákr Ögmundarson was a 10th century Icelandic skald. He is the protagonist of Kormáks saga which preserves a significant amount of poetry attributed to him. According to Skáldatal he was also the court poet of Sigurðr Hlaðajarl and fragments of a drápa to the jarl are preserved in...
the skaldSkaldThe skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
, hero of Kormáks sagaKormáks sagaKormáks saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It tells of the tenth-century Icelandic poet, Kormákr Ögmundarson, and Steingerðr, the love of his life. The saga preserves a significant amount of poetry attributed to Kormákr, much of it dealing with his love for Steingerðr. Though the saga is...