Cormaic

Cormaic is the Irish form of a masculine given name that appears in medieval and modern Irish writing. In English-language texts the name is typically rendered as Cormac, but in Gaelic sources it appears as Cormaic. The name is of Old Irish origin and is associated with figures in Irish legend and history.

The most prominent bearer in tradition is Cormac mac Airt, a legendary High King of Ireland. In the tradition he is said to rule during a distant, mythic era and is celebrated as a just and wise ruler. His legends are part of the corpus of early Irish sagas and regnal lists, blending history and myth, with varying chronologies across sources.

Other individuals named Cormaic appear in genealogies, annals, and saint lists, reflecting the name’s continued use in Gaelic culture. Because many Irish sources from the medieval period preserve multiple figures with similar names, distinguishing among them often requires manuscript context and careful historical reading.

In modern times the form Cormaic remains in use within Irish-language communities and can appear in literature and as a personal name. It is closely related to Cormac, the anglicized version commonly used in contemporary contexts.