Erin

Where the name comes from

• Irish (via English)
  Ireland
  Irish Éirinn, a grammatical form (the dative) of Éire, 'Ireland'. It goes back to Old Irish Ériu, 'Ireland.'
  Erin was a poetic name for Ireland long before it became a first name. Irish speakers use the form Éirinn after words like 'in,' 'to' and 'from.' English speakers took that form and spelled it Erin.
• American English (given-name use)
  Ireland (the name honors the country)
  The poetic place name Erin, used as a first name
  Erin was rare as a girls' name in the US before 1954. It was popular from about 1976 to 1985. US popularity: it peaked in the 1980s, when it ranked #28 among girls' names for the decade (SSA). It is used mostly for girls and sometimes for boys.
• Popular meaning (not attested)
  Popular: 'peace'
  None attested
  Baby-name books and websites often say Erin means 'peace.' No scholarly source supports this. The idea probably comes from confusing Erin with Irene, which comes from the Greek word for 'peace.' The two names are not related.

Erin across traditions

• Irish mythology. In Irish legend, Ériu is one of three goddesses who gave their names to Ireland. Her sisters are Banba and Fódla. All three names are still used as poetic names for the island.
• Irish poetry and nationalism. In English, poets used Erin as a romantic name for Ireland. It also became a female figure who stands for Ireland. The motto 'Erin go bragh' means 'Ireland forever.'
• Mexico and the American Southwest. In the Mexican-American War, an Irish unit fought for Mexico. It was called the San Patricios, or Saint Patrick's Battalion. Its green flag carried the motto 'Erin go Bragh.' In Spanish the motto is known as 'Irlanda por siempre.'
• Irish American naming. Irish families outside Ireland first used Erin as a first name, especially in North America. Its US rise in the 1970s and 1980s reflects pride in Irish heritage.

Who carried it

• Erin Brockovich (Born 1960): An American legal clerk and environmental activist. She helped residents of a small California town win a lawsuit against a power company that polluted their water. The 2000 film named for her won Julia Roberts an Academy Award.

Forms in other languages

Erinn, Eryn, Éireann

Erin in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.