Deirdre (Irish)

Where does "Deirdre" come from?

The Irish female given name 'Deirdre' comes from the Old Irish 'Derdriu'[1]. This Old Irish name originates from 'derdrethar', meaning 'rages, resounds', which itself derives from 'dord' meaning 'to buzz, drone'[2]. Going further back, 'dord' stems from the Proto-Celtic '*dor-d-', tracing ultimately to the imitative Proto-Indo-European root '*dʰer-' and '*dʰreh₁n-', meaning 'drone' or 'to murmur'[3].

Full etymology tree

• Deirdre (Irish), 'a female given name from Old Irish'
  • inherited Derdriu (Old Irish), 'a female given name, most famously borne by a tragic heroine of the Ulster Cycle.'
    • derived derdrethar (Old Irish)
      • derived dord (Old Irish), 'buzz, hum, drone'
        • inherited *dor-d- (Proto-Celtic)
          • derived *dʰer- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to support'

Ancestors

• Derdriu (Old Irish)

Related words

• Niamh (Irish)
• Róisín (Irish)

Sources

1. Deirdre (Irish) - Wiktionary
2. Derdriu (Old Irish) - Wiktionary
3. dord (Old Irish) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

More words starting with D

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris