Contribute your knowledge to the name Deirdre

Comments and insights on the name Deirdre

Beautiful Irish name.

I'm so jealous! I love the name! If I have a baby girl, she will be named Deirdre. I just can't get over how much I love this name.

Personal experiences with the name Deirdre

My Daughter's name is Deirdre, and I can not fathom the amount of times that people have came up to her in her stroller when she was a tot, asked her name, and say how beautiful it was. I think it was a great choice. It's very original, and is true to my Irish herritage! Even if you are not Irish, I still strongly recommend naming your daughter Deirdre.

My name is Deirdre and I often get many compliments on my name. However, it is often misspelled (Deidre, Deirde, Diedra, Dierdre, etc.) which was really horrible as a child, and only tolerable as an adult. It is also REALLY commonly mispronounced and I have many people who can never get past calling me Deidre (dee-dra) which is also very frustrating. Keep this in mind if you choose this name for your daughter. I would reccomend using it with a more common middle name and easily spelled and pronounced last name. However, I would say having such a unique name has always shaped who I am, and I can't imagine another name.

Hello, my name is Deirdre. I empathize with the above respondent. No one hardly spells my name right. However, I've always made a little game out of it. It's a good ice breaker, and it leads to a good conversation considering it's rarity. My mother named me Deirdre along with my two sisters Desiree and Danielle. My friends do pronounce my name Dee-druh. I didn't find out until a few years ago that the way mine is spelt, it's supposed to be pronounced Dear-druh. But I don't find it an issue. Often the spelling is slaughtered, which comes to be a problem with awards and such. I love my name, reguardless. My full name is Deirdre Faith (insert long and complicated German name). So yes, I do suggest a simplier middle name. It doesn't matter if the last name is unusual... it just provides more talk time.

I have a younger sister named Deirdre (pronounces Dear-dree). Several years ago when in H.S., her friends found it simpler to say shortened nicknames: Dee, DiDi, etc. But why ruin such a beautiful, "given", name? When friends phoned and asked to speak to "Dee", our mother always replied that no one lived there by that name. It worked! To this day, even after living in several states, she is only called by her beautiful "given" name. Her middle name is simpler, but so perfectly matched: Paige. By the way, she was not thrilled with the nicknames, but didn't want to tell her friends. I have always wished that I had her name instead of mine (like the first writer above, a bit jealous!).

Nicknames for Deirdre

Dee, DiDi, DeeDee, DeeDee, Ellie, DeeDee Belle

Meanings and history of the name Deirdre

From Gaelic. The meaning is disputed. Deirdre may mean "she who murmurs or chatters", although in Irish legend, Deirdre is a tragic heroine and the name is strongly associated with sorrow and sacrifice.

Famous real-life people named Deirdre

Deirdre Hall, American actress
Deirdre Quinn, American actress
Deirdre Lovejoy, actress
Deirdre Purcell, Irish actress and author
Deirdre Madden, Irish author
Deirdre McCloskey (born Donald McCloskey), American transsexual economist, activist, and author
Deirdre Cartwright, jazz musician
Deirdre Connelly, American business executive
Deirdre Lee, writer
Deirdre Martin, romance author
Deirdre Shannon, Irish singer

Deirdre in song, story & screen

Deirdre (Derdriu), the most famous tragic heroine in Irish mythology and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is often called "Deirdre of the Sorrows." Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-known stories of pre-Christian Ireland.

"Deirdre of the Sorrows", three-act play by Irish playwright John Millington Synge,
"Deirdre", song by the Beach Boys.
Deirdre Barlow, long-running character from the British TV series "Coronation Street"

Near the end of the film "Four Weddings and a Funeral", the character Tom, perpetually unlucky in love, encounters a distant cousin named Deirdre at the fourth wedding and falls instantly in love, remarking "Thunderbolt city!". His love is returned, and they marry.