1. The first recorded person with the name is Saint Enda, who lived on the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway c. 500 AD. Enda comes from Éanna, which means “bird-like”.
2. In the year I was born, eighty-one babies in Ireland were named Enda. That put it comfortably in the Top 100 most popular (boys) names, ahead of Jamie but behind Seamus. The equivalently popular boys name in the US in 1987 was Ian. Despite its ancient origins, the popularity of the name is a recent phenomenon: the 1901 Census lists only person in Ireland named Enda. The resuscitation is likely linked to St Enda’s School, founded in 1908.
3. Between 2011 and 2017 the Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland was named Enda Kenny. Since his rise to national prominence, the popularity of our name has sadly plummeted. Only three children were named Enda in 2016.
4. Discriminating against gay people is a bad thing. In the United States, Employment Non-Discrimination Acts are routinely called ENDAs. Scholarly work has shown that US states with Endas are more innovative.
5. I was once at a wedding with five Endas there. Had we taken a selfie, it would be called an endascope.