Hi there,
My kids (6 and 8) are very interested in learning about their Irish heritage, and would like to know how their names translate in Irish.
My youngest daughter is Kate, which I believe is Cáit.
My eldest daughter is Mae. Is there an Irish translation for that?
Thank you for your help

Hi there!

Names (normally, usually) are not translated per se but do have equivalents between languages.
For example, my name Tim is usually "translated" into Irish as Tadhg although Tim(othy) is a
historical figure from the Bible and his name is given as Tiomóid. That is why I use Tiom for short
rather than Tadhg.

The following link shows you the full explanation for "Cáit".
https://www.libraryireland.com/names/wo ... t-kate.php

I'm not aware of any equivalent for "Mae" although the following page offers some information.
https://nameberry.com/babyname/Mae
It says Mae is a diminutive of Mary or Margaret (which are related, two names of the same origin);
then in the text it says it comes from the month of May.

Mary > Máire
https://www.libraryireland.com/names/wo ... e-mary.php

Margaret > Mairghréad
https://www.libraryireland.com/names/wo ... rgaret.php

May > Bealtaine (not normally used as a name; this is a translation of the month. I wouldn't recommend it.)

Then there is the popular Irish name "Maeve" (Méabh) which is explained as follows:
https://www.libraryireland.com/names/wo ... idhbhe.php
Note that the meaning of Maeve is different from Mae.

If it were my daughter and I wanted to give her name an Irish flourish, I would just call her Máire or Méabh.

By the way, notice the older spellings and newer spellings for the names. There is no difference in meaning
but the simpler forms reflect modernized spelling reforms.

Good luck choosing.

By the way, you can find easy books for your kids to learn Irish online. There are a lot of materials available.

Cheers,
Tim

Amazing, thanks Tim!

I'm hoping someone else will chime in here and give you more input, ideas, and so on.