Cathal

Cathal is a common given name in the Irish and English languages. The name is derived from two Celtic elements: the first, cath, means "battle"; the second element, val, means "rule".[1] There is no feminine form of Cathal. The Gaelic name has several Anglicised forms, such as Cathel,[2] Cahal, Cahill and Kathel.[3] It has also been Anglicised as Charles,[3] although this name is of an entirely different origin as it is derived from a Germanic element, karl, meaning "free man".[4]

Cathal
Pronunciation/ˈkæhəl/
Irish: [ˈkahəlˠ]
GenderMasculine
Language(s)Irish
Scottish Gaelic
English
Origin
Language(s)Celtic
Derivationcath + val
Meaning"battle" + "ruler"
Other names
See alsoCathal, Cathel, Cahal, Charles, Cahill, Kathel
Charles
Variations of the given name
Blended variations of the given name
Variations of the surname
^indicates a given name article above (surname may have alternate derivations)

As is evident from the list below, the name was in medieval times most popular in Ireland's two western provinces, Munster and Connacht.

People with the name

Pre-19th century

Later
  • Cathal Breslin (b. 1978), concert pianist from Northern Ireland
  • Cathal Brugha (d. 1922), revolutionary
  • Cathal Coughlan (singer)
  • Cathal Corey, Gaelic football manager and former player
  • Cahal Daly (1917–2009), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1990 to 1996
  • Cathal J. Dodd (b. 1956), singer and voice actor
  • Cathal Dunne (b. 1951), singer, represented Ireland in Eurovision Song Contest 1979
  • Cathal Ó Searcaigh (b. 1956), poet
  • Cathal Smyth (b. 1959), singer and songwriter, better known as Chas Smash of the British band Madness
  • Cathal O'Hare (b. 1990), Football Trader, William Hill
  • Cathal Pendred (b. 1987), retired mixed martial artist

See also

References
  1. Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 343, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1, Irish Gaelic: name derived from the Old Celtic vocabulary elements cath battle + val rule. It was borne by a 7th-century saint who served as head of the monastic school at Lismore, before being appointed bishop of Taranto in south Italy. In Gaelic Scotland the name appears to have been borne only by descendants of the Mac Mhuirichs, a learned family of Irish origin.
  2. Maceachen, Ewan (1922), Maceachen's Gaelic-English Dictionary (4, revised and enlarged ed.), The Northern Counties Newspaper and Printing and Publishing Company, pp. 467–469
  3. MacFarlane, Malcolm (1912), The School Gaelic Dictionary prepared for the use of learners of the Gaelic language, Stirling: Eneas Mackay, p. 144
  4. Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 52, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
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