Jarlath as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Jarlath

What is the meaning of the name Jarlath ?

The baby name Jarlath is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced JAR-lath (IPA: /ˈdʒɑːr.ləθ/).

Jarlath is Irish in Origin.

Jarlath is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Iarfhlaith (also Iarlaith/Iarlaithe), from Old Irish iar “west; after” and flaith “ruler, prince.” The combined sense is often rendered “western ruler” or, more generally, “noble lord.” Less common spellings include Jarlaith; in Irish-language contexts the standard modern form is Iarlaith.

The name is best known via Saint Jarlath of Tuam (Iarlaithe mac Loga), a 6th-century founder and the first bishop of Tuam; his cult anchored the name in Connacht, with a feast on June 6. It appears in medieval annals and persisted in ecclesiastical and local usage, experiencing revival during the late 19th–20th-century Gaelic cultural renewal. Today Jarlath remains rare outside Ireland but retains strong regional resonance, echoed in institutions such as St Jarlath’s College and parish dedications. Diminutives are uncommon; the related Irish name Iarla exists but is now more often used as the distinct name meaning “earl.”