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 ...

word for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

originating from the Irish word ''"Éirinn"''. "Éirinn" is the

dative case In grammar, the dative case ( abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob ...

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 nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of ...

s 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 ''Hibernia'' () is the Classical Latin name for Ireland. The name ''Hibernia'' was taken from Greek geographical accounts. During his exploration of northwest Europe (c. 320 BC), Pytheas of Massalia called the island ''Iérnē'' (written ). ...

, 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, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

, queens, or literary figures were ever called Erin. According to

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

, the name was originally given to the island by the Milesians after the goddess ''

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; modern ga, Éire ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic (Old Norse or ...

''. The phrase Erin go bragh ("Éire go brách" in standard

orthography An orthography is a set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word breaks, emphasis, and punctuation. Most transnational languages in the modern period have a writing system, and mo ...

, dative "in Éirinn go brách" "in Ireland forever"), a slogan associated with the United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798, is often translated as "Ireland forever".

Usage as a given or family name

As a given name, 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 Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. As a family 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, an ...

. However, that name was originally derived from the place of the same name near Dumfries, and means "green water", from Brittonic ''ir afon''.Behind the Name: Search Results
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People

Females

Erin Andrews Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster, television personality, and actress. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sp ...

(born 1978), American sports reporter *

Erin Anttila Erin Helena Maureen Anttila (née Koivisto; born 2 July 1977), better known as simply Erin, is a Finnish singer who rose to fame with the pop group Nylon Beat. Early life Erin Anttila was born in Helsinki, Finland, and is of Irish and Finni ...

(born 1977), Irish-Finnish singer, better known by her mononym Erin *

Erin Babcock Erin Babcock (6 June 1981 – 25 April 2020) was a Canadian nurse and politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the electoral district of Stony Plain. Early life ...

(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 Canadian Broadcaster and author *

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...

(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 Erin Hunter is a collective pseudonym used by the authors Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Clarissa Hutton, Inbali Iserles, Tui T. Sutherland, and Rosie Best in the writing of several juvenile fantasy novel series, which focus on a ...

, 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 Erin Victoria Phillips (born 19 May 1985) is an Australian rules footballer for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, a radio host, and a former professional basketball player. She played nine seasons in the ...

(born 1985), Australian former basketball player and Australian rules footballer *

Erin Pizzey Erin Patria Margaret Pizzey (; born 19 February 1939) is an English ex-feminist, Men's rights activist and advocate against domestic violence, and novelist. She is known for having started the first and currently the largest domestic violence s ...

(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 (born 1980), American fencer * Erin Spanevello (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 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georg ...

" 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", 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 Erin'') * Erin Driscoll, a character in U.S. thriller ''24'' * Erin 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 ''Derry Girls'' is a British teen sitcom created and written by Lisa McGee that premiered on 4 January 2018 on Channel 4. The channel's most successful comedy since ''Father Ted'', the series was inspired by McGee's own experiences growing u ...

'' *

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 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran ...

'' * 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 ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

'' * 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 develope ...

References

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