Bloganuary writing prompt

Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.

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Happy New Year! This seemed like a great prompt to kick off 2024, with some neat history and fun facts. It also kind of serves as a unique introduction, for those of you who are new to the blog, or a good refresh, for those of you who have been around for a while now!

So, hi! My first name is Erinn. Yes, with two n’s. Although apparently, that spelling is more common than ever!

All of the different variations of Erin actually originate from the Irish word Éirinn (so really, the spelling with two n’s was never that far of a stretch!). Éirinn literally means Ireland, in the Romantic sense; it was most often used in poetry and songs in the 19th century. At that time, Erin’s Isle was used to refer to Ireland as well. In Irish folklore, Erin was the name given to the island after the matron goddess Ériu. Erin is even a name for Ireland in Welsh, so it makes for a popular girls’ name in Wales! But for both girls and boys, the first names of Erin or Aaron have always been the most popular in the United States. Even as a last name, surprisingly, Erin is one of many spellings used for a Scottish clan, the Irwins.

Erin seems to be heavily used in regard to Irish nationalism, to express a pride in being Irish and having lived in Ireland. Traditional folksongs like “Let Erin Remember” and “Érin grá mo chroí” (“Ireland, Love of My Heart”) obviously include the name. In Éirinn go brách, written as Erin go bragh or Éire go brách in our modern era, was a slogan of the United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798 and is translated as “Ireland forever.” I do love a name with a little bit of revolution to it!

I’m curious if anyone, inside of Ireland or outside, even uses the name Erin anymore to describe their home. Or is it just used as a given name these days?

With my thanks, much of the credit for this post goes to the Erin Wikipedia page for basically all of this information, as the numerous baby name websites that exist are never consistent!