Derdriú as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Derdriú

What is the meaning of the name Derdriú ?

The baby name Derdriú is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Irish IPA: /ˈdʲerʲdɾʲuː/; Anglicized: 'DEER-druh' or 'DEER-dra'.

Derdriú is Irish in Origin.

Derdriú is the Old Irish precursor of the modern name Deirdre, rooted in the Ulster Cycle and recorded in early manuscripts such as Lebor na hUidre and the Book of Leinster’s tale Longes mac nUislenn (The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu). Its etymology remains uncertain; the often-cited meaning “sorrowful” reflects the heroine’s tragic narrative rather than a secure linguistic derivation. Some scholars consider the name’s origin obscure within Goidelic and possibly pre-Gaelic, so it is best glossed as “meaning unknown.”

Variants include Derdriu (Old Irish), Derdri (medieval case-form), Deirdre (Modern Irish/English), Dierdre and Deirdra (English variants). Nicknames include Dee and Deedee. The name experienced a strong revival during the Celtic Revival and was popularized in the 20th century by W. B. Yeats’s Deirdre (1907) and J. M. Synge’s Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910), leading to wider use in Ireland, Scotland, Britain, and North America.

⚙ Derdriú turns up in none of the birth registries or name datasets we cover. Most often that means a rare name, a regional or heritage one, or a recent coinage. By any reading, it's an exceptionally uncommon choice.