The Top 10 Irish Surnames In Our Readers' Family Trees.
So, let’s take a tour of the Top 10 most numerous Irish surnames provided to us - in reverse order. Are any of your Irish surnames here?
10. Collins.
At first glance, this looks like an English surname - but most Collins’ in Ireland are of Irish Gaelic origin. The main clan (O’Collins) originated in what is now County Limerick, but spread south-west into County Cork over the centuries. You will also find a smaller group in the west of Ulster that were McCollins originally.
9. Murray.
This one might be a surprise to some - but it turns out we have a lot of Murrays reading our weekly letter! Most Murrays in east Ulster are of Scottish origin, but there are also the Irish Gaelic O'Murrys of Roscommon/Galway and the McMurrays of County Donegal. Finally, you will find some smaller Irish Gaelic septs of Murrays/Murrihys in County Clare and County Down.
8. O’Connor.
Conor (originally "Conchubhar") was a prevalent boy’s name in Ireland in ancient times that worked its way into later surnames. The most important branch was in Connacht (Galway and Roscommon) and provided us with the last High King of Ireland. There were further sub-branches of that clan in County Sligo - and separate families of O’Connors in counties Offaly, Kerry, Clare and Derry.
7. O’Brien.
Brian Boru led the Dál gCáis tribe from their base in what in now County Clare and his direct descendants named themselves in his honour. This family surname is found across Ireland - but probably most numerous in County Cork as well as counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
6. Ryan.
The majority of Ryans came out of what is now north County Tipperary where it is the most numerous surname and was originally called “Mulryan” in those parts. There is also a separate clan of Ryans in County Carlow - which you will also find spread across counties Wicklow, Kilkenny and Wexford.
5. McCarthy.
The leading family of the Eoghanacht tribe - long time Kings of Munster. Today, it is mostly found across the southern half of the island - especially to the south-west. Some people think that surnames with a “Mac” (meaning "son of") are Scottish and “O”s (meaning "descendant of") are Irish, but here is an example of a very numerous surname of Irish origin that begins with a “Mac”.
4. Walsh (also Walshe/Welsh).
This is the most numerous Irish surname of Anglo-Norman origin. It literally means a "person from Wales" - and was a generic name given to many of the foot soldiers who accompanied the Norman knights on the first forays into Ireland from Wales. It is found in many unconnected families in different parts of the country and is now the fourth most numerous of all Irish surnames (including among our readers!). You will find the name in quantity in counties Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kilkenny, Tipperary as well as in County Mayo.
Next, on to our Top 3 Irish Surnames:
3. Sullivan.
This is the most numerous surname across the southern counties of Munster - especially in Counties Cork and Kerry. It also happens to be the third most numerous both in Ireland and amongst our readers. They were part of the Eoghanacht tribe under the McCarthys (see above).
I have written it "Sullivan" rather that "O'Sullivan" as that was how it was provided by our readers. You see, at the time of highest emigration from Ireland (the mid 1800s), the use of "O" before a surname was almost extinct in Ireland. As a result, the "Sullivans" who emigrated stayed with that form as did most of their descendants. However, back in Ireland there was a reintroduction of the "O"s for surnames by the early 1900s and as a result most Sullivans in Ireland today are "O'Sullivan". So, if you think that your family had the "O" removed after they emigrated that is probably not the case.
2. Kelly.
This surname is derived from a popular boy’s name (Ceallach) and used by many unconnected clans in Ireland. However, the most important were the O’Kellys of the Uí Maine sept in what is now counties Galway and Roscommon. Separate groups of Kellys can be also found in counties Derry, Galway, Laois (Queen’s County), Meath and Wicklow.
And now, on to Number 1:
1. Murphy.
Murphy is the most numerous surname both amongst our readers and in Ireland today. This is probably down to its prevalence in so many distinct areas on the island of Ireland - and especially in those that were most affected by emigration from the 1840s. There were the various "O’Murphy" clans - but also the "McMurphys" in Ulster. Murphy is most numerous in the following counties (in descending order): Cork, Wexford, Kilkenny, Kerry, Armagh, Tipperary, Down, Carlow, Mayo, Limerick and Waterford.
How about you? Are any of your Irish surnames in our Top 10? That’s it for this week - If you would like to share your ancestral story - or the surnames in your family tree - do feel free to HIT REPLY and let us know.
Slán for now,
Mike.