Cormac: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Cormac is an Irish boy's name meaning “son of the charioteer.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Son of the charioteer
- Gender
- Boy
- Also spelled
- Cormack, Cormick
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 141 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Cormac?
Cormac is pronounced KOR-mak. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Cormack and Cormick.
What does Cormac mean?
From old Irish corbmac “son of the charioteer.” Cormac Mac Airt was probably the most famous of the ancient kings of Ireland. As the ruler of Tara, the seat of the high kings of Ireland, for forty years (probably 227-266 AD), he was famous for his wise, true and generous judgments. Cormac owned the wonderful gold cup given to him by the sea-god Manannan Mac Lir. If three lies were spoken over it, it would break in three; three truths made it whole again. Cormac used this cup during his kingship to distinguish falsehood from truth and when he died, the cup vanished. It was a very popular name in early Ireland and is still used today.
Cormac in Irish legend
Grainne was the daughter of Cormac MacAirt, the high king of Ireland. No woman could compare to her beauty.
Read The Pursuit of Diarmuid and GráinneHow popular is Cormac in Ireland?
In 2025, 38 baby boys in Ireland were named Cormac, which made it No. 141 that year. That's down from No. 89 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2005, when 183 baby boys were named Cormac, No. 39 that year. The most babies got the name in 2006: 185. The records go back to 1964, when 39 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 38 | No. 141 |
| 2024 | 37 | No. 139 |
| 2023 | 43 | No. 131 |
| 2022 | 46 | No. 130 |
| 2021 | 39 | No. 150 |
| 2020 | 50 | No. 122 |
| 2019 | 64 | No. 106 |
| 2018 | 52 | No. 122 |
| 2017 | 75 | No. 97 |
| 2016 | 85 | No. 83 |
| 2015 | 84 | No. 89 |
| 2014 | 102 | No. 76 |
| 2013 | 115 | No. 68 |
| 2012 | 116 | No. 68 |
| 2011 | 141 | No. 59 |
| 2010 | 139 | No. 58 |
| 2009 | 159 | No. 58 |
| 2008 | 167 | No. 54 |
| 2007 | 153 | No. 53 |
| 2006 | 185 | No. 42 |
| 2005 | 183 | No. 39 |
| 2004 | 147 | No. 51 |
| 2003 | 118 | No. 56 |
| 2002 | 127 | No. 52 |
| 2001 | 113 | No. 59 |
| 2000 | 126 | No. 54 |
| 1999 | 115 | No. 55 |
| 1998 | 91 | No. 61 |
| 1997 | 114 | No. 65 |
| 1996 | 126 | No. 59 |
| 1995 | 129 | No. 58 |
| 1994 | 99 | No. 70 |
| 1993 | 98 | No. 71 |
| 1992 | 110 | No. 68 |
| 1991 | 88 | No. 71 |
| 1990 | 90 | No. 78 |
| 1989 | 79 | No. 82 |
| 1988 | 75 | No. 81 |
| 1987 | 64 | No. 90 |
| 1986 | 88 | No. 78 |
| 1985 | 74 | No. 86 |
| 1984 | 86 | No. 75 |
| 1983 | 70 | No. 89 |
| 1982 | 99 | No. 79 |
| 1981 | 83 | No. 82 |
| 1980 | 104 | No. 77 |
| 1979 | 111 | No. 74 |
| 1978 | 83 | No. 82 |
| 1977 | 70 | No. 95 |
| 1976 | 83 | No. 86 |
| 1975 | 90 | No. 82 |
| 1974 | 79 | No. 90 |
| 1973 | 95 | No. 83 |
| 1972 | 86 | No. 83 |
| 1971 | 82 | No. 87 |
| 1970 | 76 | No. 84 |
| 1969 | 64 | No. 87 |
| 1968 | 53 | No. 87 |
| 1967 | 50 | No. 86 |
| 1966 | 41 | No. 95 |
| 1965 | 41 | No. 92 |
| 1964 | 39 | No. 87 |
Cormac in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Cormac, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- OOnn, gorse
- RRuis, elder
- MMuin, vine
- AAilm, pine
- CColl, hazel
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Cormac
Questions about Cormac
- How do you pronounce Cormac?
- Cormac is pronounced KOR-mak. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Cormac mean?
- Cormac means “son of the charioteer.”
- Is Cormac a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Cormac is a boy's name.
- How popular is Cormac in Ireland?
- In 2025, Cormac was No. 141 for boys in Ireland, with 38 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2005, at No. 39.