CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Aodh (given name)

male given name

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 16, 2026
Entity authorityQ2857956
Source-derived summary

Aodh ( ee, ay, Irish: [iː, eː], Scottish Gaelic: [ɯː]; Old Irish: Áed) is a masculine Irish and Scottish Gaelic given name, which was traditionally anglicized as Hugh. The name means 'fire' and was the name of a god in Irish mythology.

The name features in the Irish surnames Mac Aodha (lit. 'son of Aodh'; anglicized as McGee/McHugh/McKee) and Ó hAodha (lit. 'descendant of Aodh'; anglicized as Hayes/Hughes/O'Hea), and the Scottish surname Mac Aoidh ('son of Aodh'; anglicized McKay).

The name has a number of derived forms, including:

The feminine forms Aodhnait and Aodhamair.

Aodhán (Old Irish: Aedán), anglicized as Aidan, formed by the addition of the diminutive suffix -án.

Aogán (traditionally Aodhagán), a double diminutive. This form features in the surname Mac Aodhagáin ('son of Aodhagán'; anglicized as Egan and Keegan).

Maodhóg (Old Irish: Máedóc), anglicized as Mogue, derived from the pet form m'Aodhóg ('my little Aodh').

People with the name

Áed

Áed Rúad, legendary High king of Ireland

Áed mac Echach (died 575), king of Connacht

Áed mac Bricc (died 587), bishop and saint

Áed Dub mac Suibni (died 588), king of Dál nAraidi

Áed Dibchine (died c.595), king of Leinster

Áed mac Ainmuirech (died c.598), High king of Ireland

Áed Sláine (died 604), High king of Ireland

Áed Rón mac Cathail (died 604), king in Leinster

Áed Uaridnach (died 612), High king of Ireland

Áed Bennán mac Crimthainn (died 618), king of or in Munster

Áed Dub mac Colmáin (died 641?), bishop of Kildare

Áed Aired (died 698), king of Dál nAraide

Áed Róin (died 735), king of Dál Fiatach

Áed mac Colggen (died 738), king of Leinster

Áed Balb mac Indrechtaig (died 742), king of Connacht

Áed Muinderg (died 747), king of northern Uí Néill

Áed Find (died 778), king of Dál Riata

Áed Oirdnide (died 819), king of Ailech

Áed mac Boanta (died 839), probably king in Dál Riata

Áed of Scotland (died 878), king of the Picts

Áed Findliath (died 879), king of Ailech

Áed Ua Crimthainn (fl. mid-12th century), abbot of Terryglass

Aedh

Aedh mac Cathal Crobdearg Ua Conchobair, king of Connacht, 1223–1228

Aedh Muimhnech mac Felim Ua Conchobair, king of Connacht

Aedh mac Ruaidri Ua Conchobair, king of Connacht, 1228–1233

Aedh mac Aedh Breifneach Ua Conchobair

Áed Ua hOissín, First Archbishop of Tuam 1152

Aodh

Aodh, Earl of Ross (died 1333)

Aodh Mór Ó Néill (1540–1616), Irish earl and resistance leader

Aodh Mac Cathmhaoil (1571–1626), Irish archbishop and theologian

Aodh Rua Ó Domhnaill (1572–1601), Irish King, Lord and rebel leader

Aodh Mac Dónaill (Hugh McDonnell), Irish scribe

Aodhagan, Aodhagán, Aodhán, Aogán

All of these variants are AY-ə-GAWN or ay-GAWN. The spelling Aogán reflects the loss of the light dha syllable, pronounced [ə], but the o may be reinterpreted as [ə] even in that spellinɡ.

Editorial summary

“Aodh (given name)” enters the record as male given name. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Aodh, given and name can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1223, 1228, 1233, 1152—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Aodh, given and name.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Aodh (given name)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Aodh, given and name provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2857956. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1223, 1228, 1233 and 1152.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Aodh (given name)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Aodh (given name) primary sources, Aodh (given name) archive and Aodh research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Aodh (given name)”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Aodh (given name)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.