Cormac

Cormac is a masculine given name in the Irish and English languages. The name is ancient in the Irish language and is also seen in the rendered Old Norse as Kormákr.
Mac is Irish for "son", and can be used as either a prefix or a suffix. The derivation of "cor" is not so clear. The most popular speculation is that it is from "corb," the old Irish for wheel, perhaps designating someone who fought in a cart or chariot as male names are often derived from order of battle. (For instance "Gary, Garth, etc., from "gar" for "spear.") However, some etymologies suggest it derives from the old Irish for "raven", a bird laden with mystical meaning for the Celts, and often used to mean "legend" or "legendary". Similarly, it might refer specifically to Corb, one of the legendary Fomorians of Irish mythology. In recent years an etymological back formation has been popularized that suggests it means "son of corruption" or "son of defilement" from another Irish word also pronounced "corb" which meant "something is not right in the council" and referring specifically to political treachery or dishonesty, but this "corb" postdates the usage of the names Cormac by several centuries, and thus could not be related to the name. Today the name is typically listed in baby names books as meaning "raven" or "legend" or sometimes as "charioteer".

---

From old Irish corbmac: son of the charioteer. Cormac Mac Airt was probably the most famous of the ancient kings of Ireland.

Popularity	Name	Birth Year	Description
1	Cormac Murphy-O'Connor	1932	Catholic cardinal
2	Cormac mac Airt		Irish sovereign
3	Cormac McAnallen	1980	Irish Gaelic footballer
4	Cormac J. Carney	1959	United States federal judge
5	Cormac Ó Gráda	1045	Professor of economics at University College Dublin
6	Cormac mac Cuilennáin		Irish bishop and king of Munster
7	Cormac Battle	1972	Irish singer
8	Cormac O'Raifeartaigh
9	Cormac Costello	1994	Gaelic football player
10	Cormac Mac Con Midhe		Irish poet
11	Cormac de Barra	1972	Irish musician
12	Cormac Cond Longas		Fictional human
13	Cormac Mac Carthaig		King of Munster
14	Cormac McCarthy		Musician
15	Cormac Breslin	1902	Irish politician
16	Cormac Fitzgeoffrey
17	Cormac Kinney	1971	Software architect and businessperson
18	Cormac Cullinan		South African lawyer
19	Cormac Bonnar	1959	Irish hurler
20	Cormac Devlin	1980
21	Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh	1490	Prince of Carbery in Ireland
22	Cormac Burke	1993	Footballer
23	Cormac O'Brien	1967	American writer
24	Cormac Breathnach	1900	Irish politician
25	Cormac MacBaron O'Neill
26	Cormac Murphy	1993
27	Cormac of Dunkeld		Bishop
28	Cormac mac Art Ó Melaghlain	1182	King of Mide
29	Cormac of Armagh
30	Cormac Rowe	1983	Head chef
31	Cormac MacDermott		Irish king
32	Cormac Mác Shamhradháin		Roman Catholic bishop
33	Cormac mac Ailello		King of Munster
34	Cormac Ó Comáin	1703	Irish seanchai
35	Cormac Donnelly	1989	Hurler
36	Cormac mac Ceithearnach		Irish abbot
37	Cormac of Mortlach		British bishop
38	Cormac McGinley		Gaelic footballer
39	Cormac Ó Domhnalláin		Irish poet
40	Cormac mac Connmhach		Bishop
41	Cormac McCann	1964
42	Cormac MacDonlevy
43	Cormac Ó Luimlín		Roman Catholic bishop
44	Cormac Antram	1926	American priest
45	Cormac Bane		Irish footballer
46	Cormac mac Ciaran		Irish abbot
47	Cormac Mac Dermott		Musician
48	Cormac mhac Taidhg Bhallaigh Ó Dálaigh		Irish poet
49	Cormac Mág Shamhradháin	1442
50	Cormac Cruinn Ó Máille		Irish noble
51	Cormac Ó Curnín		Irish poet
52	Cormac ua Cillín
53	Cormac Mac Duinnshléibhe		Irish doctor
54	Cormac ua Cairbre Crom		Abbot of Clonmacnoise
55	Cormac ua Liathain		Irish saint
56	Cormac McGuinness		Gaelic footballer
57	Cormac Folan	1983	Irish rower