Ireland (English)
Where does "Ireland" come from?
The name 'Ireland' has its roots in the Proto-Celtic word *Φīweriyū, meaning 'earth' or 'soil,' which eventually evolved into the Old Irish name Ériu. By the Old English period, this land was commonly referred to as Īrland, a combination of the name of the people ('Irish') and the Germanic word for 'land.' Over centuries, this transitioned through Middle English forms to become the modern name used today.
Full etymology tree
- Ireland (English), 'A large island in northwestern Europe.'
- inherited Irland (Middle English), 'alternative form of Irlond'
- inherited Īrland (Old English), 'Ireland (an island and country in northwestern Europe)'
- compound Īras (Old English), 'the Irish'
- borrowed Írar (Old Norse)
- inherited Ériu (Old Irish), 'Ireland (a country and island of Europe)'
- inherited *Φīweriyū (Proto-Celtic), 'Ireland'
- inherited *péyh₂werih₂-ō (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *péyh₂wr̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'fat'
- affix *-ih₂ (Proto-Indo-European), 'Feminizes athematic nominal stems.'
- inherited *péyh₂werih₂-ō (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *Φīweriyū (Proto-Celtic), 'Ireland'
- inherited Ériu (Old Irish), 'Ireland (a country and island of Europe)'
- borrowed Írar (Old Norse)
- compound land (Old English), 'land (dry portion of the Earth's surface)'
- inherited *land (Proto-West Germanic), 'land, area of ground'
- inherited *landą (Proto-Germanic), 'land, area of ground'
- inherited *land (Proto-West Germanic), 'land, area of ground'
- compound Īras (Old English), 'the Irish'
- inherited Īrland (Old English), 'Ireland (an island and country in northwestern Europe)'
- inherited Irland (Middle English), 'alternative form of Irlond'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris