It is of no surprise that there are now almost 40 million Americans that claim to have Irish ancestry considering that almost 5 million Irish have emigrated to the US since the 1700′s. The exodus of Irish immigrants to America really took off during the Great Hunger (Irish Potato Famine) between 1845-52 when over 1 million Irish died and many of those that survived fled in search of a better life.
The population of Ireland declined by 25% and to this day it is is still 50% smaller compared to what it was in the 1800′s. The Irish have contributed enormously to American society and many of the popular Irish family names have lived on throughout the United States.
Whether you are Irish or Irish-American, you’re probably immensely proud of your surname. Many Irish families declare their roots by displaying the crest of their clan in their homes. Here are the 10 most prominent Irish names in America with their Coats of Arms.
1. Murphy – The Sea Battlers
Murphys – you win the prize for most common last name in Ireland, especially in County Cork.
This surname, which means “sea battler,” translates to Irish as MacMurchadh (son of Murchadh) and O’Murchadh (descendent of Murchadh), a derivation of the first name of Murchadh or Murragh.
O’Murchadh families lived in Wexford, Roscommon, and Cork, in which county it is now most common, with the MacMurchadhs of the Sligo and Tyrone area responsible for most of the Murphys in Ulster.
The name was first anglicized to MacMurphy and then to Murphy in the early 19th century.
2. Kelly – The Bright-Headed Ones
Kelly comes second to Murphy as the most common last name in Ireland.
The Kellys are all over Ireland; the name originates from around 10 unrelated ancient clans or septs. These include O’Kelly septs from Meath, Derry, Antrim, Laois, Sligo, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Galway and Roscommon.
O’Kelly comes from the Irish O Ceallaigh, meaning “descended from Ceallach,” an Irish chieftain. “Ceallach” means war or contention. It is an ancient first name that is no longer used as a first name in Ireland. However, Kelly is a popular first name for women in the U.S.
3. O’Sullivan – The Hawkeyed Ones
Kellys may have bright heads, but O’Sullivans have hawk-like eyes.
The O’Sullivans or Sullivans are one of the most populous of the Munster families. In Irish, O’Sullivan is O’Suilleabhin, and there is no doubt that origin of the name comes from the word súl (eye), though whether it is to be taken as “one-eyed” or “hawkeyed” is in dispute among scholars.
Originally lords of the territory around Cahir, County Tipperary in the 12th century, they migrated to what is now west Cork and south Kerry, where the name is still very prominent.
4. Walsh – The Welshmen
The meaning of this “Welsh” name is pretty straightforward.
The name Walsh is one of the most common of the Norman associated names found in Ireland. It seems to have been the name used by the many different groups of Welsh people who arrived in Ireland with the Normans during the 12th century.
The name comes from Welsh, which simply means Welshman, and its early Norman form was “Le Waleys.” But this became gradually anglicized to Walsh.
5. O’Brien – The Noblemen
O’Briens are pretty lucky – they are descended from one of the greatest and most famous Irish kings.
The name O’Brien, also spelled O’Bryan or O’Brian, translates to Ó Briain in Irish, which means “of Brian.”
The name indicates the family is descendants of Brian Boru, the celebrated High King of Ireland. This gives O’Briens leave to call themselves “high” and “noble.”
Most O’Briens can be found in counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
6. Byrne – The Ravens
Byrnes can be found flying around all over counties Wicklow and Dublin, where it is one of the most common last names.
Byrne, originally O’Byrne, comes from the Irish O’Broin meaning “descended from Bran,” an 11th century King of Leinster.
The O’Byrnes were chieftains of what is now County Kildare until the Norman invasion when they were driven from their lands and migrated (ha!) into the mountains of County Wicklow.
There, together with their allies the O’Tooles, they successfully resisted Norman and English domination for centuries.
7. Ryan – The Little Kings
The meaning of the Irish name Ryan comes from the old Gaelic word “righ” and the old Irish diminutive of “an,” which together form the meaning of “little king.”
The name Ryan comes from the Irish name O’ Riain – a contraction of the older Irish form O’Mulriain, which is now virtually extinct.
Ryan is also an extremely popular first name, especially in Britain and the U.S.
The Ryan family motto is ‘Malo More Quam Foedari,’ which, when translated, means ‘I would Rather Die than be Disgraced.’ And they call them “little” kings …
8. O’Connor – Patrons of Warriors
They might not be warriors themselves, but at least O’Connors descend from them!
The O’Connor name, with its varied spellings, doesn’t spring from a common source. The name arose in five areas of Ireland: Connacht, Kerry, Derry, Offaly, and Clare and split into six distinct septs.
The most prominent sept is that of the Connacht O’Connors who gave us the last two High-Kings of Ireland: Turlough O’Connor (1088-1156) and Roderick O’Connor (1116-1198). They trace their heritage and name from the Irish “Ua Conchobhair,” meaning from Conchobhar, a king of Connacht.
9. O’Neill – From Niall of the Nine Hostages
The O’Neill family traces its history back to 360 A.D. to the legendary warrior king of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages, who is said to have been responsible for bringing St. Patrick to Ireland.
Niall is also said to have been incredibly fertile – he has 3 million descendants worldwide.
“O’Neill” is derived from two separate Irish words, “Ua Niall,” which means grandson of Niall, and “Neill” meaning “champion.”
Ireland’s O’Neills were known by the nickname “Creagh,” which comes from the Gaelic word “craobh” meaning “branch” because they were known to camouflage themselves to resemble the forest when fighting the Norsemen. Crafty fellows, those O’Neills.
10. O’Reilly – Descendants of Raghaillach
The O’Reillys round out the top 10 most common last names in Ireland.
Their family name is derived from the Irish “O’Raghailligh,” meaning descendants of Raghaillach.
The O’Reillys were the most powerful sept of the old Gaelic kingdom of Breffny (Cavan and the surrounding counties), and the family is still prominent in the area.
Reilly, often spelled Riley, has become a trendy given name in the U.S., for both baby boys and girls.
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Reblogged this on Cactus McGurk.
Thank you. Appreciated.
No problem, Paddy. Great post. The bond between the USA and Ireland is very strong and there’s a lot of history between them.
Great post 🙂
Thank you.
Reblogged this on IRELAND – MALTA – TRAVEL and commented:
My most read post in USA.
Terrific post Paddy.. I am sharing in the Blogger Daily later today.. My mother was a Walsh from Cork and when I did the Ancestry DNA there was definitely a strong Welsh presence.. with Scandinavian on my father’s side as he came from the East coast up in Nottinghamshire, but his name Coleman I understand also comes from Cork. so the Vikings got somewhere into the family. My husband is Cronin from Cork too but more recently than my lot as he was born and brought up in Waterford. I went to the Royal Naval School in Malta between 7 and 9 as my father was CO of the WT station Ranella at the time. We have been back a couple of times and have given it serious thought, now we have been back in Ireland for three years, about following in your footsteps and decamping to Malta for the winter. Thanks again for a great post. Sally
Hi Sally.
Great to hear from you.
We have a couple of things in common. My mother was from a Wexford WALSH family and met my father in Waterford. So I was born and lived in Waterford ’till age 10.
Malta is great for the winter months but too hot in summer. I will be heading back for my hibernation early October ’till March. Good for the health.
https://irelandtoday.net/2019/06/03/malta-great-for-mind-body/
Take a peek at the above.
Cheers to you and Mr. Cronin.
Great Paddy thank you and will check the post out.. We lived in Madrid in the mountains for 17 years at 35+ in the summer and so love the heat.. enjoy your week.
thanks for the list! but no McGovern? 🙂
Thanks Jim.
McGovern
SDB Popularity ranking: 816
Recorded invarious spellings including MacGovern, McGovern, McGowran, Govern, and the original Magauran, this is an Irish surname of some history and reputation. It derives from the ancient Gaelic Mag Shamhradrain, translating as “the descendant of the summer person” “samhra” meaning summer. Quite why anybody should have such a nickname is unclear, but it is claimed that the first name holder was one “Samhradan” who lived about the year 1100. Certainly the clan held lands for many centuries in what is now County Cavan, at a place called Tullylaw, and also at the village of Ballymagauran. They seem to have had a long love-hate relationship with the Maguires. It is reported that in the year 1481 the Maguires descended upon the village and burnt it to the ground, in response to a “dishonourable act” by a McGovern. The wording suggests events leading to breach of wedding vows or similar. Amongst the early nameholders were Edmund Magauran, the archbishop of Armagh in the years 1588 – 1159, and Hugh McGovern, an 18th century poet who helped to awaken the interest in Gaelic literature. The name is also famous in the Argentine, the McGovern family being one of the largest land owners in that country, whilst Senator McGovern in the USA has twice stood for the presidency. The first recording of the surname may be that of Teag Magauran, the bishop of Armagh from 1588 to 1595.
Wow! Thank you for the history lesson. Shared it with my aunt (a McGovern) this morning who is from Leitrim but quite close to Ballymagauran. She mentioned there is a Maguire in the family!
My mother was an O’Neill. Her father had the “red hand of O’Neill on his lawn bowling bowls, and we were regaled with stories – myths and legends I suspect – about the O’Neills. I don’t know if O’Neill is in the top 10 in New Zealand, to where my O’Neills emigrated, but there are a lot.