Glossary of common words in Irish placenames

This glossary offers an overview of words commonly found in Irish placenames, based on automated text searches.

Note Although editorial checks have been carried out and are still being carried out on the results, they may not all be correct. As well as that, not all placenames have been indexed as yet, e.g. (i) the placenames in Northern Ireland that don't yet have established Irish language forms and (ii) placenames that are not in the database at all, e.g. certain minor names.

baile
English townland, town, homestead
9553 places More
cill
English church
3290 places More
bóthar
English road
2758 places More
mór
English great, big
2653 places More
Ó, Uí
2396 places More
cnoc
English hill
2361 places More
loch
English lake; inlet
2096 places More
beag, big
English small
1651 places More
cluain, cluaine
English meadow, pasture
1621 places More
droim, drom
English ridge
1533 places More
coill, coillidh, coillte, coille
English wood
1504 places More
carraig
English rock
1341 places More
ráth, ráith
English ring-fort
1270 places More
lios
English ring-fort, enclosure
1175 places More
dún, dúnaibh
English fort
1162 places More
oileán
English island
1127 places More
doire
English (oak-)wood, grove, thicket
1063 places More
caisleán
English castle
1021 places More
gleann
English glen
1020 places More
áth
English ford
939 places More
gort, gart
English field
938 places More
ard
English height; high
937 places More
dubh, dú-, duí-
English black
916 places More
cúil
English corner, nook
833 places More
bán
English white; lea-ground, grassy
783 places More
corr
English round hill, pointed hill, hollow; pointed, conspicuous, odd
775 places More
ceathrú
English quarterland
773 places More
abhainn, abha
English river
756 places More
páirc
English field
749 places More
rua, ruadh
English red; red place
731 places More
tobar
English well
692 places More
inis, inse
English island; river meadow
661 places More
teach, steach, stigh, tigh
English house
655 places More
móin, mónaidh
English bogland
637 places More
nua
English new
590 places More
cloch, cloich
English stone, stone building
569 places More
buí
English yellow
567 places More
béal
English opening, approach, mouth
558 places More
tulach, tulaigh
English hillock
535 places More
ros
English (wooded) height; wood; promontory
520 places More
poll
English hole, pool, (tidal-)stream?
514 places More
achadh, -ach
English field
506 places More
droichead
English bridge
505 places More
teampall
English church
485 places More
currach
English marsh
477 places More
maigh, magh
English plain
426 places More
sean
English old
421 places More
cnocán
English hillock
419 places More
sliabh
English mountain, moor
419 places More
ceann, cionn
English head, headland
407 places More
garraí
English garden, court
364 places More
fearann
English land
362 places More
liath, léith
English grey, grey place, grey horse
360 places More
eanach
English marsh
358 places More
muileann
English mill
348 places More
garrán
English grove
346 places More
mullach, mullaigh
English hilltop
325 places More
crois, cros
English cross; crossroads
322 places More
garbh
English rough, rough one
317 places More
rinn
English point, headland
313 places More
breac
English speckled
312 places More
glas
English green, grey
309 places More
leath, leith
English half, side
307 places More
riabhach
English streaked, grey
305 places More
buaile, buailidh
English cattle-fold, summer-pasture
304 places More
ceapach, ceapaigh
English plot of land, tillage plot
303 places More
bun
English (river-)mouth, bottom(-land)
300 places More
leac
English flat stone or rock, flagstone
300 places More
bealach
English way, pass
283 places More
cora, coraidh, corann
English weir, stone-fence, ford
282 places More
muc
English pig
279 places More
trá
English strand, beach
278 places More
sceach, sceich
English hawthorn, thorn-bush
269 places More
binn, beann
English peak, cliff
262 places More
barr
English top
258 places More
srath, sraith
English holm, river-meadow, valley-bottom
257 places More
fada
English long
249 places More
port
English port, bank, fort
240 places More
maol
English bare, flat-topped; derelict; bare, flat-topped hillock
236 places More
gráinseach, gráinsigh
English grange, monastic farm
225 places More
mín
English mountain pasture
224 places More
tamhnach
English arable place, field
221 places More
cuas
English hollow; cove, creek
219 places More
goirtín
English little field
219 places More
caol
English narrow; a narrow; marshy stream
216 places More
muine
English thicket
215 places More
carn
English cairn, pile of rocks
212 places More
leaca, leacain, leacan
English hillside
211 places More
log, lag
English hollow
194 places More
coimín
English commonage, common land; little hollow, glen
189 places More
gob
English point, headland
184 places More
doirín
English little oak-wood
181 places More
ráithín
English small ring-fort
180 places More
bearna, bearn, bearnaidh
English gap
175 places More
tír
English land, territory
174 places More
caiseal
English stone ring-fort
172 places More
fionn, finne
English white
171 places More
gráig
English hamlet; cattle-steading?
171 places More
cillín
English little church
166 places More
mainistir
English monastery
166 places More
tóin, tón
English bottom(-land)
166 places More
creag, craig, creig, screig
English rock, crag
165 places More
iúr
English yew-tree
165 places More
com
English hollow, coomb
161 places More
leitir, leitreach
English hillside
159 places More
machaire
English plain
158 places More
clais
English trench, ravine
153 places More
dair, darú
English oak
153 places More
domhnach
English church
153 places More
gléib
English glebe
Examples An Ghléib
152 places More
dearg, deirg, deirge
English red, red one
150 places More
cruach, cruachán
English stack, peak
149 places More
clochán
English stepping-stones, causeway; old stone structure
147 places More
cuan
English bay, harbour, recess
147 places More
cuileann
English holly
141 places More
glas, glaise
English stream
141 places More
caoin
English pleasant, fair
Examples Cluain Caoin
140 places More
tuar
English animal-enclosure; lea(-field); bleaching-green
137 places More
clochar, cloichear
English stony place
131 places More
dromainn
English ridge
129 places More
leacht, sleacht
English grave-mound, monument
129 places More
uisce
English water
125 places More
tuairín
English little animal-enclosure; little lea(-field); little bleaching-green
124 places More
sail, saileach
English willow-(tree)
121 places More
uachtar
English upper, southern part
118 places More
tuaim
English (grave-)mound, burial-place
116 places More
clár
English plank bridge; plain
113 places More
lisín
English small ring-fort
111 places More
gall
English foreigner; standing stone
107 places More
faiche
English green (ainmfhocal/noun)
106 places More
lia, liag
English stone, pillar-stone
106 places More
coll, call
English hazel
103 places More
creagán, screagán
English rocky place
100 places More
gabha
English smith
98 places More
geal
English bright, white
96 places More
English bay
94 places More
tor, toraigh
English tall rock, steep rocky height; bush, clump
89 places More
coillín
English little wood
87 places More
fiodh, feá
English wood
87 places More
lorgain, lorga
English long low ridge; strip of land
87 places More
díseart
English hermitage
86 places More
sionnach, sionnaigh, seannach
English fox
85 places More
allt, ailt, alt
English steep-sided glen, height, cliff
84 places More
, céibh
English quay
84 places More
éadan
English brow
84 places More
móinín
English small bogland
84 places More
mín
English smooth
83 places More
uinse, fuinseog, fuinsinn
English ash-tree
83 places More
íochtar
English lower, northern part
81 places More
léim
English leap
81 places More
gabhar
English goat
78 places More
taobh
English (hill-)side
78 places More
uaimh, óin, ón
English cave, souterrain
78 places More
ladhar
English fork
77 places More
tóchar
English causeway
77 places More
beith
English birch
75 places More
cos, cois
English foot; beside
75 places More
gearr, giorra
English short
74 places More
lao
English calf
72 places More
sián
English fairy mound
71 places More
móta
English moat, earthen embankment
69 places More
dumha
English (grave-)mound, sand-bank
68 places More
seisceann
English swamp, bog
68 places More
trian, treana, triainín
English third
67 places More
eaglais
English church
65 places More
iolar, iolra
English eagle
64 places More
luachair
English rushes, rushy place
64 places More
both, boith
English hut, cell
60 places More
leaba, leapa
English grave, megalithic tomb, bed
57 places More
mullán
English hillock; green field
57 places More
aiteann, aitinn, aitinne
English furze, gorse
56 places More
gamhain
English calf
56 places More
feadán
English watercourse, stream
55 places More
feart, fearta
English (grave-)mound
51 places More
léana
English water-meadow
51 places More
madra
English dog
50 places More
imleach
English marginal-land, border-land
49 places More
fiach
English raven
47 places More
scairt
English thicket
46 places More
comar
English confluence; meeting-place
45 places More
Eo
English yew
43 places More
gréach
English rough pasture-land?
40 places More
sráid
English street, village
38 places More
meall, millín
English knoll
25 places More
leamhán, leamhach
English elm-tree
24 places More
learga, leargaidh, leargain
English hillside
24 places More
tonn
English bog, swamp
20 places More
gaoth
English inlet, estuary
9 places More
gaoth
English wind
3 places More