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 f ...
in the
Irish and
English languages. The name is ancient in the Irish language
and is also seen in the rendered
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
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 the 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, one of the legendary
Fomorians
The Fomorians or Fomori (, Modern ) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the earth. Later, they were portrayed as sea raider ...
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
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Cormac Antram (1926–2013), American priest
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Cormac of Armagh, medieval Irish archbishop
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Cormac Breslin (1902–1978), Irish politician
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Cormac J. Carney (born 1959), American judge
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Cormac Cond Longas, legendary Irish prince
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Cormac Costello (born 1994), Gaelic football player
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Cormac Cullinan, South African attorney
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Cormac Devlin (born 1980), Irish politician
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Cormac Izuchukwu (born 2000), Irish rugby union player
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Cormac Kennedy-Leverett (born 2000), Australian rower
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Cormac Kinney (born 1981), American entrepreneur
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Cormac mac Airt, legendary Irish king
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Cormac Mac Carthaigh, medieval Irish king
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Cormac Laidir MacCarthy (1411–1494), Irish royal
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Cormac mac Cuilennáin (died 908), Irish bishop and regional king of Munster
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Cormac McAnallen (1980–2004), Irish Gaelic footballer
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Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...
(1933–2023), American novelist
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Cormac Murphy (born 1993), Irish hurler
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Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (1932–2017), British cardinal
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Cormac O'Brien (disambiguation), multiple people
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Cormac O'Doherty (born 1996), Irish Gaelic footballer
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Cormac O'Raifeartaigh
Cormac O'Raifeartaigh (Cormac O'Rafferty) is an Irish physicist based at Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland. A solid-state physicist by training, he is best known for several contributions to the study of the history and philosophy of ...
, Irish physicist
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Cormac Roth, 16th century Irish archbishop
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Cormac Rowe (born 1983), Irish chef
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Cormac Ryan (born 1998), American basketball player
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Cormac Ua Liatháin, Irish saint
See also
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List of Irish-language given names
This list of Irish-language given names shows Irish language given names, their Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicisations and/or English language equivalents.
Not all Irish given names have English equivalents, though most names have an angl ...
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Cormack (surname)
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McCormack
References
{{given name
English-language masculine given names
Masculine given names
Irish-language masculine given names