Aoife ( , ) is an Irish and Gaelic feminine given name. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic ''aoibh'', which means "beauty" or "radiance". It has been compared to the

Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...

name ''Esvios'' (Latinized ''Esuvius'', feminine '' Esuvia''), which may be related to the tribal name '' Esuvii'' and the theonym ''

Esus Esus is a Celtic god known from iconographic, epigraphic, and literary sources. The 1st-century CE Roman poet Lucan's epic ''Pharsalia'' mentions Esus, Taranis, and Teutates as gods to whom the Gauls sacrificed humans. This rare mention of Cel ...

''.

Irish mythology

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

, Aífe the daughter of Airdgeimm, sister of Scathach, is a warrior woman beloved of Cuchullain in the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle (), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Do ...

. T. F. O'Rahilly supposed that the Irish heroine reflects an otherwise unknown goddess representing a feminine counterpart to Gaulish ''Esus''. Aífe or Aoife was also one of the wives of Lir in the '' Oidheadh chloinne Lir'' ("Fate of the Children of Lir"), who turned her stepchildren into swans. There is also Aoife (Áiffe ingen Dealbhaoíth), a woman transformed into a crane, whose skin after death became Manannán's "Crane-bag".

Biblical rendering

The name is unrelated to the Biblical name '' Eva'', which was rendered as ''Éabha'' in Irish, but due to the similarity in sound, ''Aoife'' has often been incorrectly

anglicised 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 ''Eva'' or ''Eve''. Aoife MacMurrough (also known as Eva of

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

) was a 12th-century Irish noblewoman.

From Aife to Aoife

The first use of "Aoife" as a given name in 20th-century Ireland, was in 1912.

Given name

People

* Aoife Ahern, Dean of Engineering at University College, Dublin * Aoife Cusack (born 1996), Irish professional wrestler who performs under the ring name Lyra Valkyria * Aoife Dooley (born 1991), Irish writer * Aoife Hoey (born 1983), Irish bobsledding olympian * Aoife Mannion (born 1995), Irish association footballer * Aoife MacMurrough (c. 1145–1188), Irish Princess of Leinster and Countess of Pembroke * Aoife McLysaght, Irish 21st century geneticist * Aoife Melia, Irish medical doctor * Aoife Moore, (fl. 2020s), sometimes Aoife-Grace Moore, Northern Irish journalist * Aoife Mulholland (born 1978), Irish actress * Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, Irish singer * Aoife O'Donovan (born 1982), American singer * Aoife O'Rourke (born 1997), Irish boxer * Aoife Walsh (born 1989), Irish fashion model

Fictional characters

* Aoife, sister of Scathach in Michael Scott's series '' The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel'' * Main character in ''The Iron Thorn'' by Caitlin Kittredge * Aife, a succubus in '' Lost Girl'' * Aoife Brubeck, daughter of Holly Sykes, the protagonist of '' The Bone Clocks'' by David Mitchell * Aoife Rabbitte, wife of Jimmy Rabbitte, in '' The Guts'' by

Roddy Doyle Roderick Doyle (born 8 May 1958) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, eight books for children, seven plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories. Several of his books have been ...

* Aoife Riordan, member of the Riordan family, in ''Instructions For A Heatwave'' by Maggie O'Farrell

Other

* ''Aoife'' (album) (1996), the second album by the Irish singer Aoife * The LÉ Aoife (P22) is a Republic of Ireland naval vessel

References

External links

Medievalscotland.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aoife Irish-language feminine given names Feminine given names