Eddie Geoghegan Irish Coats of Arms & Heraldry web pages
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~donnaweb/
Ireland was one of the earliest countries to evolve a system of hereditary
surnames. They came into being fairly generally in the eleventh century, though
some were formed as early as the year 1000. Brian Boru, high king of Ireland, who
died at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, is often erroneously credited with decreeing
that the use of surnames should become a requirement among his subjects. In
fact the system developed spontaneously in Ireland, as it did elsewhere, as a
result of the need for personal identification in an increasing population.
Prior to the adoption of surnames, the Irish had a system of tribal grouping that
went under formal names. These included, among others,
Cenel Conaill, located in the north-east and traditionally descended from Conall Gulban,
son of Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Cenel Eoghain, located in Tyrone and Derry and traditionally descended from Eoghan,
son of Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Cenel Fhiachadh, located in the midlands and descended from Fiacha, third son of Niall
of the Nine Hostages.
Dal gCais or Dalcassians, descendants of Cas and located in Thomond - counties Clare
and parts of Limerick and Tipperary.
Eoghanacht, centered in south Munster and descended from Eoghan, son of Oilioll
Olum, King of Munster.
Siol Muireadhaigh or Silmurray, located in north Connacht.
Uí Fiachrach, two groups, Uí Fiachrach Muaidhe, located in north Mayo and Sligo and
Uí Fiachrach Aidhne in south Galway.
Uí Maine or Hy Many, located in east Galway and South Roscommon.
These groups were often parts of others and also subdivided so the situation is
not as simple as it might seem. For example, Uí Neill or Ua Neill was a collective
name for all the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. It included the
northern Uí Neill (which in turn included Cenel Conaill and Cenel Eoghain) and the
southern Uí Neill (which in turn included Cenel Fiacha and others).
The existence of these named groups indicates a predisposition among the
ancient Irish towards family grouping and naming and so it is not surprising that
the development of personal and hereditary surnames was little more than a
natural extension of this tribal system.
Prior to the coming of surnames, individuals were identified by means of a
personal name, sometimes with the addition of a nickname referring to some deed
or physical attribute, for example Con Cead Cathach (Con of the hundred battles),
Feargal Ruadh (red haired Fergal), Roisin Dubh (dark haired Rose) and so on. The
people of the time must have also used patronymics, Eoin Mac Brian (John son of
Brian), etc., but names were not hereditary, for instance, Eamonn, the son of Eoin
Mac Brian, would be known as Eamonn Mac Eoin (son of John) rather than
Eamonn Mac Brian (Brian). However, as surnames gradually became hereditary,
these patronymics remained constant from one generation to the next.
Patronymics form the great majority of Gaelic-Irish surnames. They are formed by
adding the prefix "Mac" or "O" to the personal name of an ancestor. "Mac" literally
means "son" and "O" means grandson, but in surnames, both are usually taken to
signify "descendant of" rather than their literal meaning. The great Irish
patronymics give us quite an insight into the popular personal names of the day,
Neill, Connor, Murchadh (hence Murphy), Aodh or Hugh (hence McKay, McHugh, O
Hea, etc.), Conall, etc. I should mention that the use of the form Mac, Mc, M', Mag,
etc. is of no significance. All are simply variants of the Gaelic word "mac". I should
also mention that these prefixes are gender sensitive, Mac and O being masculine.
Their feminine equivalents are Ní (Nic if followed by a vowel) and Uí.
Apart from patronymics, the other three great sources of all surnames, not just in
Ireland, are, occupational, nicknames and locative.
Surnames based on nicknames abound among the Irish. O Sullivan is from "suil
amhain" meaning one-eyed, Deeny is from "duibhne" meaning disagreeable, Roe
from "ruadh" meaning red haired, Duff, Duffy, Deegan and several other surnames
are all derived from the root word "dubh" (pronounced duvv or duw) meaning
black.
Occupational names are somewhat less common. Clery is "O Cleirigh" from the
Irish word for clerk and McGowan (Mac Gabhan) is from the word for smith.
Locative surnames (derived from the bearer's place of birth or where they lived),
are far less common among the Irish than the English or Normans. However, there
are some examples for instance De Gallbhaille (Galbally).
There are two other types of Irish surname that I should mention, both derived by
the addition of a prefix. In the first case the prefix is "Giolla" which means
"follower of", "devotee of" or "servant of". This prefix has given rise to a large
number of familiar names start with Gil... or Kil... For example, Gilmore is from
Mac Giolla Mhuire (devotee of Mary), Kilbride from Mac Giolla Brighde (devotee of
St. Bridget, Gildea or Kildea from Mac Giolla Dhe (servant of God), Gilleran from
Mac Giolla Eanain (Eanain's servant). The second case relates to the prefix "maol"
which can have the same meaning as "Giolla", i.e. devotee, etc. but which may
also be derived from "mal" meaning leader or chief. From this prefix we get a
whole series of names beginning Mul... Mulcahy from O Maolcathach (leader of
battles), Mulderrig from O Maoildeirg (red chief), Mulhall from O Maolchathail
(follower of Cathal), Mulholland from O Maolchalann (devotee of Saint Calann),
and many more.
And so it was that by the end of the twelfth century, names derived as explained
above existed all over Ireland. However, a major event was about to happen. In
1170, the Anglo-Normans arrived in Ireland and over the course of a hundred
years mingled and intermarried with the native Irish. With them came a whole
new selection of names and conventions.
The Anglo-Normans were mainly French speaking. Many of them were
grandchildren or great-grandchildren of those who made up the force, which
under William the Conqueror, subjugated the native English in 1066. Some of
them had already taken surnames based on their exploits in England. For
example, the leader of the invading force, Richard de Clare, better known as
Strongbow, had already derived his name from a place in England. Other family,
the D'Exeters derived their name from that town. However, over time, a large
number of these families adopted Irish ways and Irish names. For example, the
descendants of one Jordan D'Exeter adopted the patronymic Mac Suirtain, later to
become anglicised as Jordan. The great family of Burke (de Burgo, de Burgh, de
Burca) split into several sub-septs with names like MacHugo, MacGibbon,
MacSeoinin (Jennings), MacRedmond, Mac Uilic (MacGillick) and more. The
Normans also gave birth to the famous Fitz... names, the prefix being derived from
the French "fils" meaning son. The Fitzgeralds, Fitzsimons, Fitzgibbons, Fitzhenrys
and so on, all adopted Irish customs and became "more Irish than the Irish
themselves". It is worth mentioning that not all Fitz... names are Irish. Among the
Normans of England a similar practice arose and the Fitzalans, Fitzcharles's,
Fitzgeffreys, etc. of that country are as blue blooded as any English family, many
having no connection whatsoever with Ireland. I should also quickly mention the
Fitzpatricks who are the exception to the rule. This family is Gaelic-Irish, being
Mac Giolla Phadraigh (devotee of Saint Patrick). The name was first anglicised
Gilpatrick, but, perhaps in an attempt to make a fashion statement, the main
family adopted the Fitzpatrick form, though they have no French connection.
Gallowglasses were mercenary soldiers, imported by the Irish clan chiefs, both
Gaelic and Norman, mainly in Ulster but also further afield, to aid in the defence of
their clan territories. The first recorded arrival of Galloglasses was in 1259. Prince
Aedh O Connor of Connaught, son of King Feidhlim married a princess, daughter of
Dubhgall MacRory King of the Hebrides. As part of her dowry she brought with her
a force of 160 Galloglasses. They came for the most part from Inse Ghall (The
Hebrides) and were Gaelic speaking Scots interbred with Vikings. Because of their
Viking blood they earned the name from the words gall (foreign) and óglaigh (a
warrior). The Scots themselves were Irish, mainly the Dal Riada from Northern
Ireland who had traveled to Western Scotland and Hebrides.
A fifteenth century account of them states: "They, the Irish, have one sort of
footmen which can be harnessed in mail and basinettes, having every man of
them a kind of battle-axe and they be named gallowglasses. These sort of men be
those that do not lightly abandon the field, but bear the brunt to the death. These
men are commonly wayward by profession than by nature, big of limb, burly of
body, well and strongly timbered, chiefly feeding on beef, pork and butter." They
earned their reputation the hard way, and were one of the reasons the chieftains
of Ulster and Connaught slowed the English advance northward from the Pale
several hundred years. Many of them got grants of land from the Irish chiefs and
went on to found some of the most respected septs of the island. The best known
of therese are MacSuibhne (MacSweeney), MacDomhnaill (MacDonnell),
MacSíothaigh (MacSheehy), MacDubhgaill (MacDougall), MacCaba (MacCabe) and
MacRuari (MacRory). Lesser known Galloglass families include MacSorley,
MacNeill, MacGreal, MacAnGhearr (Short / Shortt / McGirr), MacAnGallóglaigh
(MacGallogly / English), MacClean(MacAlean / MacLean / MacClane), MacAilín
(MacCawell / Campbell / MacCampbell / Allen / MacEllin), MacAlister
(MacEllistrum / MacAllister / MacAlistrum), MacAlexander, Agnew (O Gnimh / O
Gnimha / O Gnive) and MacPháidín (MacFadden).
The native Irish and the now naturalised Normans led a normal, if not totally
peaceful co-existence for several hundred years, during which time many new
surnames came into existence as the fortunes of families and septs waxed and
waned. Up until the sixteenth century, many emigrant families settled in Ireland
from England, Wales, Scotland and the continent. Many of these came to escape
persecution in their native lands and they added to the growing list of "Irish"
surnames. When Henry VIII broke with Rome, many catholic English fled to
Ireland despite the fact that Henry had declared himself King of Ireland.
On a side note, it is worthy of mention that Henry VIII declared that the coat of
arms of Ireland should be "Azure a Harp Or" (a gold harp on a blue background)
thus changing it from the famous three crowns motif (as on the current arms of
Munster), which he felt might be construed as representing the triple tiara of the
Pope.
Henry, is known to have considered a plantation of Ireland with loyal subjects as
a method of subduing the native Gaels and the rebellious Anglo-Normans.
However, he gave up on the idea for reasons of finance. When Queen Mary, a
Roman Catholic, came to the throne in 1553, she repealed the anti-Rome laws and
made England Catholic again. This was welcomed by the Irish, but Mary did not
seem to regard her common religion as any reason to treat Ireland any more
kindly than her Protestant predecessor. She sent her army into what is today
counties Laois and Offaly in 1556 and forcibly removed most of the native Irish
from the area and gave it to English (and mainly Catholic) settlers. The counties
were renamed as Queen's County and King's County. For 50 years, the Irish who
had been removed relentlessly attacked the settlers and it wasn't until 1600 that
the attacks faded away. By then, many new English surnames were well
established in the area.
In 1558 Elizabeth I came to the English throne and made England Protestant
again. Although she was funding colonies in the vast, newly discovered, land to
the west across the Atlantic she still regarded Ireland as a much more convenient
place to colonise, being so much closer and of similar climate to England. Her
reign was dogged by rebellions in Ireland. An attack by the O Neills of Tyrone was
defeated in 1561 and two revolts by the FitzGeralds of Cork and Kerry were put
down in 1575 and 1580 respectively. Elizabeth took advantage of the defeat of
the FitzGeralds in Cork and began a plantation in Munster. Promising people the
same kind of wealth that people were finding in the Americas, many English came
and settled in what had been FitzGerald land. The land was quickly farmed, towns
developed and the colony was prospering by 1587. However, the colony was
devastated in 1598 by a co-ordinated Irish attack from which it never recovered,
although many English remained in isolated areas.
By 1598, Ulster was the last bastion of pure Celtic life in Ireland. The genetics and
culture of most of the rest of Ireland had mingled with Viking, Norman and then
English settlers and was a now hybrid containing cultural components of Celtic,
Viking, Norman and English origins. Ulster was largely shielded from these
changed because it was defended by strong clans, particularly the O Neills in Tir
Eoghain. It wasn't until 24 December 1601 at the battle of Kinsale that O Neill's
army was defeated. The English decided to plant Ulster with Protestant settlers.
However, the lesson of previous plantations had been learned. In the Laois /
Offaly plantations and particularly in Munster, the settlers had been badly
affected by attacking Irish. So this time the settlers were to live in specially built
fortified towns known as Plantation Towns. In 1609 the English mapped out
4,000,000 acres of land and started gaving it out in 1610. Counties Down,
Monaghan and Antrim were planted privately. Counties Derry and Armagh were
planted with English. Counties Tyrone and Donegal were planted with Scots.
Counties Fermanagh and Cavan were planted with both Scots and English.
The vast majority of the settlers were Scottish, as it turned out, and they brought
with them a new form of Christianity, Presbyterianism, which was different from
both Roman Catholicism and the Church of England, although it is classified as
Protestant. They also brought new farming methods and a Puritan lifestyle. This
made north-east Ireland culturally very different from the rest of the island. Many
native Ulstermen attacked the settlers and burned crops. Some were shipped to
the continent. However many native Irish stayed and became employees of the
settlers, and the Ulster Plantation became the most successful plantation to date.
The plantation brought a whole influx of new surnames into Ireland. The new
surnames of English origin were, at first, easily spotted, with Smiths, Taylors,
Fleetwoods, etc. standing out from the established names. Some of the Scottish
names had an Irish look to them, but the Johnstons, Armstrongs, Elliots, Irvines,
Nixons, Croziers, and so on were easily spotted.
The Norman-Irish lords -- now called "Old English" to distinguish them from "New
English" settlers and the "Gaelic Irish" - were largely unaffected by the Ulster
Plantation. However, after the execution of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell brought his
army to Ireland and quashed a rebellion with a savagery that has become
legendary. Cromwell and his Puritans spelled disaster for all Catholics, but
particularly for the Norman-Irish. Puritans were virulently anti-Catholic, and
England's traditional tolerance for the "Old English" (vis-a-vis "Gaelic Irish")
quickly became extinct, with both communities now treated as Catholic enemies
of England. The Cromwellian Plantation followed the war. It was the largest and
most acrimonious of the confiscations, reducing Catholic ownership of land
another 37%, from 59% to 22% Whereas the Ulster Plantation had confiscated
land principally from the Gaelic-Irish, the Cromwellian Plantation took land
largely from "Old English" Catholics, and transferred it to Cromwell's soldiers (in
lieu of back pay) and to investors in the war effort. By the mid 1660s, the
Cromwellian and Ulster Plantations had created a huge landlord class, including
the oft-vilified absentee landlords, whose rental income often permitted them to
lead lives of leisure, while backbreaking rents had thrust the native Irish into
abject poverty, with 85% of the populace living at subsistence level.
After the restoration of the monarchy in England, the old line Irish (the
descendants of the pre-17th Century Irish, including both Gaelic-Irish and
Norman-Irish Catholics) arose again when they took sides in a war between two
claimants to the English Crown. They supported James II, against the man who
had deposed him, William of Orange. At the Battle of the Boyne (July 1, 1690),
William's army handily defeated James' forces. James immediately fled back to
France, but the Irish (with some French support) continued the fight for more
than a year before suffering a devastating defeat at Aughrim. Finally, Sarsfield
negotiated an honorable surrender embodied in the Treaty of Limerick (1691) as a
result of which Sarsfield and more than 10,000 Irish troops left Ireland for the
Continent - the celebrated "flight of the 'Wild Geese - and became legendary
soldiers in the armies of France and other continental powers. There ensued the
third and final wave of 17th Century plantations (the "Williamite Plantation"),
which reduced Catholic ownership of land from 22% to 14%.
In 1603, before the Battle of Kinsale, about 95% of land in Ireland was owned by
Catholics (the Gaelic Irish, the Norman Irish and the Old English); by 1701, less
than a century later, only 14% was owned by Catholics, an aggregate transfer of
81% of all productive land in Ireland. Further, the percentage of non-Irish in the
population had been increased from 5% to 25%.
Further suppression of all things Irish, resulted in an insistence that all Irish
names be given an anglicised form. This resulted in a general dropping of the
"Mac" and "O" prefix and to a lesser, but still significant, extent "Mul", "Gil" and
"Kil" started to disappear. In a country where the majority of the population
spoke Irish rather than English, it was inevitable that English-speaking civil
servants would create an amazing array of anglicised forms of the old Irish
names. Some were anglicised phonetically and others by translation (or more
often than not, mis-translation). So MacGabhain became both (Mc)Gowan
(phonetic) and Smith (translation), Mac an Tuile became Tully (phonetic) and
Flood (mis-translation).
The last century has seen a resurgence in the use of Gaelic names in Ireland and
abroad. This has resulted in a widespread readopting of Mac and O prefixes.
However, this has not always been quite consistent with the original names. There
are many examples of names that were original of the "Mac" type, being reborn
with an "O" prefix. For example, Gorman was originally MacGorman, but when
found with a prefix in Ireland today, it is usually (incorrectly) O Gorman. One
absurd example is the case of the English name Odell (originally Odehull) being
made O Dell.
In summary, the majority of surnames found in Ireland today can be traced to one
of four major sources. These are, native Irish, Norman, English planters and
Scottish planters. There are of course others such as surnames from Wales and
continental Europe.
The locations of the ancient territories, which may be mentioned in the
family histories, can be equated with modern counties as follows
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Breffny (Breifne): Counties Cavan and West Leitrim
Corca Laoidhe: Soutwest Cork
Dalriada: North Antrim
Decies (Deise): West Waterford
Desmond (Deasmhumhan): Kerry and much of Cork
Iar Connacht: West Connaught, mainly Connemara
Meath (Kingdom of): Counties Meath and Westmeath with parts of
Offaly, Kildare, Wicklow, Dublin and Louth.
Muskerry (Muscraidhe): Northwest and Central Cork
Oriel (Orghialla): Armagh and Monaghan with parts of South Down,
Louth and Fermanagh
Ormond (Urmhumhan): Much of counties Kilkenny and Tipperary
Ossory: County Kilkenny and adjoining parts of bordering counties
Thomond (Tuathmhumhan): Most of Clare with adjacent parts of
Limerick and Tipperary
Tirconnell (Tir Chonaill): Donegal
Tirowen (Tir Eoghain): Tyrone with adjacent parts of Derry.
Based on Matheson's Census of 1890, the one hundred most common
surnames in Ireland, with their origins, at that time were
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
(O)Murphy (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Kelly (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Sullivan (Gaelic Irish)
Walsh (Norman)
Smith (Gaelic Irish from Mc- and O Gowan and also English)
(O)Brien (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Byrne (Gaelic Irish)
(O Mul)Ryan (Gaelic Irish)
9. (O)Connor (Gaelic Irish)
10. (O)Neill (Gaelic Irish)
11. (O)Reilly (Gaelic Irish)
12. Doyle (usually Norse also a form of McDowell which is Scottish
gallowglass)
13. (Mc)Carthy (Gaelic Irish)
14. (O)Gallagher (Gaelic Irish)
15. (O)Doherty (Gaelic Irish)
16. (O)Kennedy (Gaelic Irish)
17. Lynch (Norman and Gaelic Irish)
18. (O and Mc)Murray (Scottish and Gaelic Irish)
19. (O)Quinn (Gaelic Irish)
20. Moore (Gaelic Irish from O More and also English)
21. (Mc)Loughlin (Gaelic Irish also substituted for the Gaelic name O
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
Melaghlin)
(O)Carroll (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Connolly (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Daly (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Connell (Gaelic Irish)
Wilson (English and Scottish
(O)Dunne (Gaelic Irish)
(O and Mc)Brennan (Gaelic Irish)
Burke (Norman)
Collins (usually Gaelic Irish but also English)
Campbell (Scottish but also Gaelic Irish - Mac Cathmhaoil)
Clarke (usually Gaelic Irish from O Cleary but also English and
Scottish)
Johnson (usually Scottish but also from the Gaelic Irish McShane)
Hughes (often English or Welsh but also a form of the Gaelic Irish O
hAodha - Hayes)
(O)Farrell (Gaelic Irish)
Fitzgerald (Norman)
Browne (Norman)
Martin (Norman)
Maguire (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Nolan (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Flynn (Gaelic Irish)
Thompson (Scottish and English)
(O)Callaghan (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Donnell (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Duffy (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Mahony (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Boyle (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Healy (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Shea (Gaelic Irish)
White (usually English sometimes used for several different Gaelic
Irish names)
(Mc)Sweeney (Gaelic Irish)
Hayes (usually Gaelic Irish from O hAodha sometimes Norman e.g.
de la Haye)
Kavanagh (Gaelic Irish)
Power (Norman)
55. (Mc)Grath (Gaelic Irish)
56. (O)Moran (Gaelic Irish)
57. (Mc)Brady (Gaelic Irish)
58. Stewart / Stuart (Scottish)
59. (O)Casey (Gaelic Irish)
60. (O)Foley (Gaelic Irish)
61. Fitzpatrick (Gaelic Irish)
62. (O)Leary (Gaelic Irish)
63. (Mc)Donnell (Scottish gallowglass in Antrim and Gaelic Irish in
Thomond and west Ulster)
64. (O and Mc)Mahon (Gaelic Irish - two distinct septs of McMahon and
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
at least one O Mahon)
(O)Donnelly (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Regan (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Donovan (Gaelic Irish)
Burns (usually Scottish in Ulster but also used for Gaelic Irish
names including Byrne, Beirne, etc.)
(O)Flanagan (Gaelic Irish)
(O and Mc)Mullan (Gaelic Irish and Scottish - from McMillen)
Barry (Norman)
(O)Kane (Gaelic Irish)
Robinson (English)
Cunningham (usually Scottish sometimes Gaelic Irish O
Cuinneagain)
(O)Griffin (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Kenny (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Sheehan (Gaelic Irish)
(Mc)Ward (usually Gaelic Irish sometimes English)
(O)Whelan (Gaelic Irish)
Lyons (Gaelic Irish with multiple origins, also English and Scottish)
Reid (usually English but also the anglicised forms of several Gaelic
Irish surnames)
Graham (usually Scottish but also the anglicised forms of several
Gaelic Irish surnames)
(O)Higgins (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Cullen (Gaelic Irish)
(O and Mc)Keane (Gaelic Irish)
King (usually English but also the anglicised forms of several Gaelic
Irish surnames)
(O)Meagher / Maher (Gaelic Irish)
(Mc)Kenna (Gaelic Irish)
Bell (Scottish and English)
Scott (mainly Scottish sometimes English)
(O)Hogan (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Keeffe (Gaelic Irish)
Magee (mainly Gaelic Irish sometimes Scottish)
(Mc)Namara (Gaelic Irish)
(Mc)Donald (usually Scottish but sometimes from the Gaelic Irish
McDonnell)
(Mc)Dermot (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Moloney (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Rourke (Gaelic Irish)
(O)Buckley (mainly Gaelic Irish, O Buachalla, but also English)
100.
(O)Dwyer (Gaelic Irish)
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