Where does the name bolger come from?

Answer 1

There are a number of origins of the name Bolger.

There is a Gaelic derivation from Bolg odhar - literally yellow belly.

This is often taken to mean cowardly. However in general speech it is common to refer to people from Wexford in general as "Yellow bellies". The colour yellow is incorporated into Wexford county's GAA strip and the there is a Wexford based arts company called "buí bolg" a more moden Gaelic form of "yellow belly". It is therefore unwise to accept the simple translation as referring to cowardice. As an example take a place name from Cavan - Bawnboy. This is from the Gaelic An Babhún buí - the Yellow (earthen/sod) fort. Here we can take the yellow as referring to the underlying colour of the clay. Another place name from this area is Lurganboy. This is from the Gaelic Lurgan Buí - literally the yellow shin bone. However here the "shin bone" refers to a peculiarly shaped hill and, as there is little ploughing in this locality, the yellow referred to is probably not the clay but rather the prevailing vegetation.

There is also the french origin from the Old French boulgier or maker of leather bags.

I have seen it suggested on the internet that it could also refer to a person from Bulgaria. While many Gaelic names do derive from a person's country of origin - for example Breathnach - a welsh person - it is unlikely that persons in the South east of Ireland would have an interest in labelling a person from a specific remote country. On the other hand there could well be an ancient connection to the people refered to as Bulgars.

Overall as the name seems to have been originally concestrated in the South East of Leinster a Bolger from Ireland can assume either the Gelic or old French origin (this area was a stronghold of the Normans in Ireland).