Rory
/ˈrɔːri/
proper noun
Origin
Irish
ruadh + rí — red king
Overview
Meaning Now
- A masculine given name of Irish origin, anglicized from the Gaelic name Ruaidhrí.
Literal older meaning
red king
Language path
Old Irish → Middle Irish → English
Earliest form
Ruaidrí
Earliest period
8th century
Journey
The name was historically associated with the high kings of Ireland, most notably Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland before the Norman invasion.
Evolution
- 8th century
Ruaidrí
“red king”
Original Old Irish compound
- 12th century
Ruaidhrí
“red king”
Middle Irish spelling variant
- 17th century
Rory
“red king”
Anglicized phonetic adaptation
Connections
Word parts
ruadh
root
red
rí
root
king
Related across languages
Scottish Gaelic
Ruairidh
red king
Manx
red king
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Related to Rory
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.