What are some old Irish last names?

Common Irish Last Names
  • Murphy – ó Murchadha. ...
  • Kelly – ó Ceallaigh. ...
  • Byrne – ó Broin. ...
  • Ryan – ó Maoilriain. ...
  • O'Sullivan – ó Súilleabháin. ...
  • Doyle – ó Dubhghaill. ...
  • Walsh – Breathnach. ...
  • O'Connor – ó Conchobhair.


What are the oldest Irish surnames?

The earliest known Irish surname is O'Clery (O Cleirigh); it's the earliest known because it was written that the lord of Aidhne, Tigherneach Ua Cleirigh, died in County Galway back in the year 916 A.D. In fact, that Irish name may actually be the earliest surname recorded in all of Europe.

What are the rarest Irish surnames?

12 unusual Irish surnames and where they come from
  • Hickey. Hickey is the anglicised form of Ó hÍceadh 'descendant of Ícidhe, a byname meaning 'doctor, healer'. ...
  • Cunningham. Cunningham, comes from the nickname Mac Cuinneagáin, or 'son of the little leader/chief'. ...
  • Patterson/Pattison/Cussen. ...
  • Campbell. ...
  • Tobin. ...
  • Hawkins.


What are Viking surnames in Ireland?

Other Norse names found occasionally in Ireland still include Cotter, Dowdall, Dromgoole, Gould, Harold, Howard, Loughlin, Sweetman and Trant.

What were common Irish names in the 1800s?

1864: Top 10 Irish first names for boys
  • John (11,812)
  • Patrick (7,695)
  • James (7,452)
  • Thomas (5,540)
  • Michael (5,508)
  • William (5,213)
  • Edward (1,745)
  • Joseph (1,535)


Frequency of Irish Surnames (1890s)



What is a very Irish last name?

Common Irish Last Names
  • Murphy – ó Murchadha. ...
  • Kelly – ó Ceallaigh. ...
  • Byrne – ó Broin. ...
  • Ryan – ó Maoilriain. ...
  • O'Sullivan – ó Súilleabháin. ...
  • Doyle – ó Dubhghaill. ...
  • Walsh – Breathnach. ...
  • O'Connor – ó Conchobhair.


What is the prettiest Irish name?

The Most Beautiful Irish Names and What They Mean
  • Saoirse. Saoirse (pronounced seer-sha) is a feminine name that rose to popularity during the 1920s. ...
  • Caoimhe. ...
  • Aoife. ...
  • Fionnoula. ...
  • Dáithí ...
  • Cara. ...
  • Ardál. ...
  • Aisling.


What surnames are Celtic?

Common Irish Last Names
  • Murphy. Irish spelling: Ó Murchadha. ...
  • O'Brien. Irish spelling: Ó Briain. ...
  • Kennedy. Irish spelling: Ó Cinnéide. ...
  • O'Reilly. Irish spelling: Ó Raghallaigh. ...
  • O'Neill. Irish spelling: Ó Néill. ...
  • Smith/McGowan. Irish spelling: Mac Gabhann. ...
  • O'Rourke. Irish spelling: Ó Ruairc. ...
  • Walsh. Irish spelling: Breathnach.


Do Irish have Viking DNA?

Extensive research into the genetic spread across Ireland and Britain has found that we have massively underestimated Irish Viking heritage.

What is the oldest name for Ireland?

Hibernia, in ancient geography, one of the names by which Ireland was known to Greek and Roman writers. Other names were Ierne, Iouernia and (H)iberio. All these are adaptations of a stem from which Erin and Eire are also derived.

What is the oldest surname?

The oldest recorded English name

The oldest English surname on record was actually from East Anglia. Believe it or not, the oldest recorded English name is Hatt. An Anglo-Saxon family with the surname Hatt are mentioned in a Norman transcript, and is identified as a pretty regular name in the county.


What is the most Irish name ever?

1. O'Sullivan (ó Súilleabháin) O'Sullivan has to be the most Irish name ever. Also known as simply Sullivan, is an Irish Gaelic clan-based most prominently in what is today County Cork and County Kerry.

What are some vintage last names?

Top Vintage Surnames
  • Alden.
  • Booker.
  • Boyd.
  • Buford.
  • Burton.
  • Carlton.
  • Carmine.
  • Clifton.


Who is the oldest family in Ireland?

Meet the Irish clan who are the OLDEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD with a combined age of 1,073 years
  • From left to right: Peter, Maureen, Sean, Brian and Leo.
  • All of the Donnellys outside their Collegelands home.
  • The 13 brothers and sisters grew up in a family of 16.
  • The Donnelly clan have a combined age of 1,073 years.


What is the best Irish surname?

The Most Popular Irish Family Names
  • Murphy.
  • Byrne.
  • Kelly.
  • O'Brien.
  • Ryan.
  • O'Sullivan.
  • O'Connor.
  • Walsh.


What are rare Irish names?

Unusual Irish baby names for boys
  • Aengus: Irish version of Angus.
  • Ailill: From the Irish Ailleacht, or “beauty”
  • Bly: Anglicized version of an Irish name.
  • Brogan: An Irish name meaning “sturdy shoe”
  • Caelan: Anglicized form of Caolán.
  • Conlan: This Irish name means “hero”
  • Declan: Anglicized version of Deaglán.


What are the top 20 Irish surnames?

One of the earliest Irish surnames, O'Brien, dates back to the 12th century when the grandson of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, honoured him by taking his name.
...
Top 20 Irish surnames
  1. Murphy. ...
  2. Kelly. ...
  3. O'Sullivan. ...
  4. Walsh. ...
  5. Smith. ...
  6. O'Brien. ...
  7. Byrne. ...
  8. Ryan.


What is the biggest Irish clan?

Murphy: There are over 50,000 Murphys in Ireland alone and many more around the globe. It is by far the most widespread Irish surname and although it is usually associated with Munster in the south of Ireland, historically the Murphys hailed from Leinster, especially county Wexford.

Is Celtic Irish or French?

Today, the term 'Celtic' generally refers to the languages and cultures of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany; also called the Celtic nations. These are the regions where Celtic languages are still spoken to some extent.

What is the oldest European surname?

O'Cleary (Irish: Ó Cléirigh) is the surname of a learned Gaelic Irish family. It is the oldest recorded surname in Europe — dating back to 916 CE — and is cognate with cleric and clerk. The O'Clearys are a sept of the Uí Fiachrach dynasty, who ruled the Kingdom of Connacht for nearly two millennia.


What are Viking last names?

Vikings did not have surnames as we know them today. They used the patronymic system or more rarely, a metronymic was used. Snorri Sturluson means Snorri, son of Sturla, for example.

What are Royal Irish names?

Leinster:
  • MacMurrough (Overlord)
  • O'Byrne.
  • O'Toole.
  • O'Brennan.
  • O'More.
  • O'Dempsey.
  • Fitzgerald of Kildare (Overlord)
  • Fitzpatrick.


What is the rarest Irish girl name?

Top 10 unusual Irish girl names
  • Looking for something a little bit different? Check out our list of the most unusual Irish girl names around!
  • Sadb/Sadhbh.
  • Líadan.
  • Caireann.
  • Sheelin.
  • Cliodhna.
  • Etain.
  • Ailbhe.


What is the hardest Irish name to pronounce?

  • Tadhg.
  • Oisín. ...
  • Caoimhe. ...
  • Dearbhla. ...
  • Meadhbh. ...
  • Gráinne. Either “granny” or “grainy” the pronunciation of this name is just never quite right. ...
  • Siobhán. This girls name is a popular one that has confused many foreigners time and again. ...
  • Aoife. Aoife is an extremely common Irish girls name that means “radiance” or “beauty”. ...