Angus (given name) explained

Angus
Pronunciation: in Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic ˈɯnɯ.əs̪/
Gender:Male
Language:English
Language origin:Irish and Scottish Gaelic
Origin:Aonghas
Derivation:Aonghus > Irish, Middle (900-1200);: Áengus > Irish, Old (to 900);: Oíngus
Petname:Angie, Gussie
Derivative:Angusina
See also:Aengus
Short Forms:Gus, Naos (Irish)

Angus is an English language masculine given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name '''Aonghas''' (also spelt Irish: Aonghus), which is composed of Celtic elements meaning "one" and "choice". Short forms of the name include Gus, which may be lengthened to Gussie, and Irish Naos.[1] Angie (; Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Angaidh|link=no) is a common pet form of the name. The feminine form of Angus is Angusina.[2]

The earliest form of the given name Angus, and its cognates, occurs in Adomnán's Vita Columbae (English: "Life of Columba) as Oinogusius, Oinogussius. This name likely refers to a Pictish king whose name is recorded variously as Onnust, Hungus.[1]

According to historian Alex Woolf, the early Gaelic form of the name, Oengus, was borrowed from the Pictish Onuist, which appears in British as Ungust. Woolf noted that these names are all derived from the Celtic *Oinogustos.[3] Linguist John Kneen derived this name from two Celtic elements the following way: *Oino-gustos, meaning "one-choice".[4] Woolf also stated that between about AD 350 and AD 660, the Insular Celtic dialects underwent changes which included the loss of the final syllables and unstressed vowels, which affected *Oinogustos thus: *Oinogustos.[5]

Variations

Scottish EnglishIrish EnglishModern IrishScottish GaelicMiddle IrishOld Irish
AngusAengusAeneasAonghasÁengusÓengus
in Irish pronounced as /ˈeːnˠiːsˠ/in Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic pronounced as /ˈɯnɯ.əs̪/pronounced as /mga/pronounced as /sga/

People with the given name

Angus

Aonghas

Aonghus

Aengus

Óengus

Fictional characters

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hanks . Patrick . A Dictionary of First Names . Hardcastle . Kate . Hodges . Flavia . . 2006 . 978-0-19-861060-1 . 2nd . Oxford Paperback Reference . . 16, 341, 399, 400 . Patrick Hanks.
  2. Web site: Learn about the family history of your surname . . 1 October 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101005064018/http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx. 5 October 2010 . live. Which cited for the given name "Angus" Book: A Dictionary of First Names . 1996 . . 0-19-280050-7 .
  3. Book: Woolf, Alex . Alex Woolf

    . Alex Woolf . From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070 . 2007 . . Edinburgh . 978-0-7486-1233-8 . xiv, 330 .

  4. Web site: Christian Names . www.isle-of-man.com . 1 October 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100818054621/http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/pn1937/p001.htm . 18 August 2010 . live. Which is a transcription of Book: Kneen, J. J. . John Joseph Kneen

    . 1937 . John Joseph Kneen . The Personal Names of the Isle of Man . Oxford University Press.

  5. Book: Woolf, Alex . Alex Woolf

    . Alex Woolf . From Pictland to Alba, 789-1070 . 2007 . Edinburgh University Press . Edinburgh . 978-0-7486-1233-8 . 62 .