English
Kilduff
Kilduff comes from Irish Mac Giolla Duibh ‘son of the black-haired lad’.
- Irishc. 1200–presentMac Giolla Duibh‘son of the black-haired lad’
- EnglishtodayKilduff
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Irishc. 1200–presentMac Giolla Duibh‘son of the black-haired lad’
- EnglishtodayKilduff
A compound of giolla ‘boy, lad’ + dubh ‘black’
Proto-Germanic *geldaną ‘to pay, have value’
Proto-Germanic *gildiz ‘valuable, wholesome, precious’
Old Norse gildr ‘brawny, stout, of full value’
Middle Irish gilla ‘a youth of an age to bear arms’
Irish giolla ‘boy, lad’
Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‘black’
Proto-Celtic *dubus ‘black’
Old Irish dub ‘black’
Irish dubh ‘black’
The story
Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Duibh (‘son of the black-haired lad’), from giolla (‘boy, lad’) and dubh (‘black’).
Every English word from Irish Mac Giolla Duibh
Today it means
name A surname from Irish.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Irish Mac Giolla Duibh / Kilduff