Aonghus (given name)
Encyclopedia
Aonghas is a masculine given name
in Scottish Gaelic. It is composed of Celtic elements meaning "one", and "choice". A variant spelling of the Scottish Gaelic name is Aonghus. The Irish
form of the Scottish Gaelic names is Aengus
. A pet form of the Scottish Gaelic names is Angaidh, which is represented in English
as Angie, pronounced "an-ghee".
The earliest form of the given name Angus, and its cognate
s, occurs in Adomnán's Vita Columbae (English: "Life of Columba
") as Oinogusius, Oinogussius. This name likely refers to a Pictish
king whose name is recorded variously as Onnust, Hungus. According to historian Alex Woolf
, the early Gaelic form of the name, Oengus, was borrowed from the British Pictish
Onuist, which appears in British as Ungust. Woolf noted that these names are all derived from the Celtic *Oinogustos. Linguist John Kneen
derived this name from two Celtic elements the following way: *Oino-gustos, meaning "one-choice". Woolf also stated that between about AD 350 and AD 660, the Insular Celtic
dialects underwent changes which included the loss of the final syllables and unstressed vowels, which affected *Oinogustos thus: *Oinogustos.
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 Scottish Gaelic. It is composed of Celtic elements meaning "one", and "choice". A variant spelling of the Scottish Gaelic name is Aonghus. 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...
form of the Scottish Gaelic names is Aengus
Aengus (given name)
Aengus is a masculine given name in Irish. It is composed of the Celtic elements meaning "one", and "choice". It is the Irish form of the Scottish Gaelic Aonghas, Aonghus...
. A pet form of the Scottish Gaelic names is Angaidh, which is represented in 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...
as Angie, pronounced "an-ghee".
The earliest form of the given name Angus, and its cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
s, occurs in Adomnán's Vita Columbae (English: "Life of Columba
Columba
Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...
") as Oinogusius, Oinogussius. This name likely refers to a Pictish
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
king whose name is recorded variously as Onnust, Hungus. According to historian Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf is a medieval historian based at the University of St Andrews. He specialises in the history of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the Early Middle Ages, especially in relation to the peoples of Wales and Scotland. He is author of volume two in the New Edinburgh History of Scotland,...
, the early Gaelic form of the name, Oengus, was borrowed from the British Pictish
Pictish language
Pictish is a term used for the extinct language or languages thought to have been spoken by the Picts, the people of northern and central Scotland in the Early Middle Ages...
Onuist, which appears in British as Ungust. Woolf noted that these names are all derived from the Celtic *Oinogustos. Linguist John Kneen
John Kneen
John Joseph Kneen was a Manx linguist specializing in Manx who translated the Isle of Man National Anthem, "Arrane Ashoonagh Dy Vannin," into Manx. The anthem was written in English and composed by William Henry Gill....
derived this name from two Celtic elements the following way: *Oino-gustos, meaning "one-choice". Woolf also stated that between about AD 350 and AD 660, the Insular Celtic
Insular Celtic languages
Insular Celtic languages are those Celtic languages that originated in the British Isles, in contrast to the Continental Celtic languages of mainland Europe and Anatolia. All surviving Celtic languages are from the Insular Celtic group; the Continental Celtic languages are extinct...
dialects underwent changes which included the loss of the final syllables and unstressed vowels, which affected *Oinogustos thus: *Oin
People with the given name
- Aonghus Fionn Ó DálaighAonghus Fionn Ó DálaighAonghus Fionn Ó Dálaigh , Irish Poet, fl. 1520-1570.Thought to have been born County Meath, Aonghus Fionn was the head of the branch of the Ó Dálaigh family who were poets to the MacCarthy of Desmond...
, (fl. 1520-1570), an Irish poet. - Aonghus Ruadh Ó DálaighAonghus Ruadh Ó DálaighAonghus Ruadh O Dalaigh, Irish poet, died 1350.A son of Donnchadh Ruadh O Dalaigh, born in County Westmeath but settled in Corcomroe, County Clare.-References:* Dictionary of Irish Biography, p. 330, Cambridge, 2009....
, (died 1350), an Irish poet.