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Greetings from the Academy of St. Gabriel!
You wrote asking about the names "Nia," "Ailia," "Liadhan," "Tiabhal," and "Niav" as Medieval Irish proper names, and about the bynames "Kar" and "MacCionnath."
Here's what we've found. Before going on, a comment about your request for meanings of the names. Names had about the same "meaning" as modern names ordinarily just a name. Where there is a recognized meaning (ordinarily only in earlier period descriptive bynames), we've tried to supply it. The exact pronunciation of given names, as well as "mac" and "inghean," depend on the precise period, so we need more information about the period you've chosen to give you that information.
We looked into the names you suggested; most did not appear to be used by any known medieval Irishwoman. We could not find two of them in any of our sources. We'd be interested to know where your friend found them.
"Nia" is the Old Irish word for "warrior," which was occasionally compounded with a second element to form a proper name, but never used as a name on its own. We've found instances where it has been used as part of a descriptive name for men, but no evidence it was used by a woman as any part of the name. [1] "Nia" is a modern Welsh borrowing of "Niamh," and has shown up in some documents to refer to the "Niamh" of Irish legend. "Niamh" is pronounced \NEE-ahv\, which may explain the name "Niav" on your list. We did not find "Niav" in any of our sources; it looks like it could be an Anglicized version of "Niamh." However, use of the name "Niamh" is not the best choice for accurate recreation; it is apparently found only in literature, which does not mean it was necessarily used by any historical person. [2]
We could not find any support for "Ailia." There is a similar name, "Ailis" \AH-lis\, which is a 12th or 13th century Irish adapation of the Anglo-Norman name "Aliz."
"Líadan" \LEE-ah-dahn\ (the "/" indicates an accent over the "i") is an Irish feminine name found in literature and used by several saints. [1,2] Although we have not found it in historical use, it is a plausible period Irish name.
We found no evidence that "Tiabhal" is a name.
As to the surnames you mention, "Kar" is probably not Gaelic, the language spoken by the Irish in period. It could have be used in Ireland in areas where the Norse invaded in the Viking era, as it could be a transliteration of the Old Norse "kjarr," which meant "brushwood." It could have been used as a personal nickname by Viking settlers in Ireland and adapted later into a surname, but we have not found any particular instances of its use.
Further, in early period, the typical construction of bynames for Irish women were patronymics, names which indicate the father of the person. Other types of bynames indicate personal characteristics of the holder, like "red." It would therefore be unlikely for an Gaelic speaker to use an Old Norse word for "brushwood" as a byname.
The surname "MacCionnaith" derives from the Irish masculine given name "Cináed" or "Cináeth" [2]. Its early forms were "Mac Cionaodha" and "Mac Cionaoith" [3], but neither of these names is appropriate for a medieval Irish woman since each means "son of Cináeth." A woman whose father was named "Cináeth" would have been called "inghean Chionaodha" \IN-yen KHEE-nu-ya\ (the "u" in "nu" pronounced like the "u" in "push") or "inghean Chionaoith" \IN-yen KHEE-nee\, "daughter of Cináeth."
Putting all this together, the best choice among the suggested possibilities is either "Líadan inghean Chionaodha" or "Líadan inghean Chionaoith." If this choice does not appeal to your friend, you may want to look at some more possibilities on the web or elsewhere. Many names found on the web are not documented as being used by real people in period, but only have a tenuous and/or speculative relationship with medieval names. Instead of venturing out into undocumented territory, try looking at these sources for names on the web:
"Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames," by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte) at http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/quick_gaelic_bynames.html
"Early Irish Feminine Names," by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn) at
Please note that the second article is not screened for "legendary-only" names; some of them may have been added to the geneaologies to enhance the reputations of their alleged progeny. If you don't find anything there which suits you, you can go to a library and use the books found here--
http://www.us.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/docs/irish.html
--to find other possibilities.
We hope this has been helpful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. Arval d'Espas Nord, Talan Gwynek, and Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn contributed the research for this letter.
For the Academy,
AElfwyn aet Gyrwum
[1] Royal Irish Academy, Dictionary of the Irish Language: based mainly on Old and Middle Irish materials (Dublin : Royal Irish Academy, 1983).
[2] O'Corrain, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, Irish Names (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990).
[3] Woulfe, Patrick, "Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames," Irish Genealogical Foundation, Box 7575, Kansas City, MO 64116.