Ruadhan as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ruadhan

What is the meaning of the name Ruadhan ?

The baby name Ruadhan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Common anglicized: ROO-ən or ROO-awn; IPA: /ˈruːən/ or /ˈruːɑːn/.

Ruadhan is Irish in Origin.

Ruadhan is the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ruadhán, from ruadh "red, ruddy; red-haired" plus the diminutive suffix -án, giving the sense "little red one" or "red-haired youth." It appears in Old Irish as Rúadán and was borne by several early saints, most notably St Ruadhán of Lorrha (6th century), a monastic founder counted among the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and linked to the legend known as the Cursing of Tara. The name saw steady ecclesiastical use in medieval Ireland and occasional survival in Gaelic-speaking Scotland.

Spelling variants include Ruadhán (with fada) and the de-diacritic Ruadhan. Related Anglicizations include Rowan, sometimes traced to the same Gaelic root as well as to the rowan tree, and the surname forms Ó Ruadháin, anglicized Ruane and Rowan. Modern use is modest but has grown in Ireland with interest in distinctively Gaelic names.