Lir as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Lir

What is the meaning of the name Lir ?

The baby name Lir is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /liːr/ (leer),/lɪr/ (lir).

Lir is Irish in Origin.

Lir is a short Celtic theonym turned given name, from Old Irish Lir, the genitive of Ler “sea,” hence “of the sea” or simply “the sea.” In early Irish literature Lir personifies the ocean and is named as the father of Manannán mac Lir; the tale “The Children of Lir” further anchored the name in Gaelic tradition. It is cognate with Welsh Llŷr, source of the legendary British king Leir that underlies Shakespeare’s Lear.

As a modern given name Lir is rare but growing in Ireland and the diaspora, valued for its mythic brevity and maritime meaning; it also appears in contemporary Israel as a unisex choice, sometimes reinterpreted by folk etymology as linked to “light” or “lyre.” Variants and related forms include Ler, Lír, Lear/Leir, and Welsh Llyr/Llŷr; feminine elaborations such as Lira also occur.