| Name |
Meaning |
Name of Fame |
Baethan
Baothan |
Gaelic : ‘Little Foolish One’ . A traditional Gaelic name in uses in the earliest recorded times. |
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Balthasar
Patifarsa |
‘Bel Protect the King’ Akkadian name traditionally assumed to be the name of one of the Magi or Three Wise Men. Famous name: American actor Balthazar Getty. |
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Banan
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Gaelic: 'White One’ or ‘Fair one'. Derivated from Gaelic colour 'ban', ‘white’. Famous name: Scottish screen actor Ian Bannen. |
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Banbhan
|
Gaelic: 'Suckling Piglet'. A diminutive of Gaelic word for pig banbh, literally anglicised as Hogg or Hogge. Perhaps not surprisingly has failed to appear in any modern register of baby’s names. |
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Barclay
|
A name derived as an anglicisation of the Irish name Partholon. The Barclays were a family which came over from France with the Norman Conquest. The first spelling of their name was ‘de Berchelai’, believed to be the Anglo–Saxon version of ‘beau’, meaning ‘beautiful’, and ‘lee’ a ‘meadow’ or ‘field’. Famous name: sculptor and digital artists Barclay Shaw. |
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Barnabv
Barnaib |
A variant anglicisation of Brian by adapting Barnabas. Traditionally linked with the O’Tooles. Barnabas is one of the first prophets and teachers of the church. Famous name: Saint Barnabas. |
|
Barry
Bearach |
Gaelic: 'Spearlike'. St Barry was an Irish missionary in Scotland which explains the name’s popularity in both countries. Barry Gibb of the Scottish family Gibb (of the Bee Gees fame) is an example. Barra is also a pet form of Finbar, Bercan is a diminutive. Popularity has grown outside Ireland although that may also be fuelled by the variations of Welsh Ap Harry, 'Son of Harry'. Famous names: American crooner and songwriter Barry Manilow and Irish World Featherweight Champion boxer Barry McGuigan (born 1961), nicknamed The Clones Cyclone. |
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Bartholomew
|
Hebrew: 'Son Of Talmai'. The Hebrew name has been Gaelicised as Pathalon, and Bairtlimead, Parthalon. The continued popularity of the native name Partholon relates to the stories of a legendary early settler in Ireland. English Partholon. Famous names: Batholomew ‘Bart’ Simpson, son of Homer and Marge and only brother to Maggie and Lisa. |
|
Bartley
Beartlai |
Hebrew: 'Son Of Talmai'. An Anglicised variant of Bartholomew. The Hebrew name has been Gaelicised as Pathalon, and Bairtlimead, Parthalon. The continued popularity of the native name Partholon relates to the stories of a legendary early settler in Ireland. English Partholon. Famous name: British gypsy barenuckle fighter Bartley Gorman. |
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Basil
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Greek: 'Royal'. This name is used in Ireland to anglicise Brazil. Famous name svelte English gentleman screen actor Basil Rathbone who became synonymous with the character Sherlock Holmes in many films of the thirties and forties. The actor was awarded the Military Cros during his service as a Lieutenant in WW1. |
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