Is your name Irish?
Happy Patricks’ Day to ye! Yes, our clan claims this day, and as we’re certainly no saints...
Irish surnames, so common in the U.S., generally have Gaelic, Anglo, and Norman roots. Those with an “O” (of) or “Mc/Mac” prefix are about family, meaning sons, or descendants. As centuries passed, these prefixes often dropped off. Other names have geographical connections, such as Bally- (town), and -more (big).
Some common Irish names include:
Brennan: Anglicized from Gaelic Ó Branáin, meaning ‘little raven
Brown: (Scottish) Derived from complexion, color of hair or garments
Burke: From (De) Burgo, a fort, castle, hill, or city.
Burns (Bourne): A burn in Scotland is a small stream (Danish/Swedish Biorn is a bear, a ferocious man)
Callahan: (Gaelic) of Ceallachán, possibly lover of churches, from “ceall” (church)
Campbell: (Celtic and Gaelic) Wry-mouth, from “cam” (crooked, distorted) and “beul” (mouth). This ancient family traces to the fifth century and Sir Colin More, or Colin the Great. His descendants were the McCallens (son of Colin). Clark(e): (Scottish) Clerk, clergyman, scholar
Daugherty/Doherty: “Not loving”; a family of chieftains in Donegal
Dolan/Doolan: (Celtic) Of black complexion or hair
Dunn: (Gaelic) A dun is a hill, mount, fortress, or tower (or Saxon, dark-colored, swarthy)
Elliot: Son of Elias; or in Welsh and Cornish British, a huntsman
Farmer: (Gaelic) Son of the husbandman
Fitzgerald: (Norman) The son (fitz) of Gerald, which is Teutonic for all-surpassing, excellent. A family tracing to English conquerors of Ireland.
Gallagher: (Gaelic) From “gallach,” valiant, brave. “Air” (man) is a common termination of nouns, and changes into eir, ir, or, oir, and uir.
Griffith(s): (Welsh, Cornish British) From “cryf” (strong) and “ffyd” (faith)
Hays/Hayes: (English or Scottish) One living near a hunting enclosure called a “haeg” or “heye”
Kelly: (Gaelic and Welsh) A hazel grove. Gaelic “kill” or Celtic “cille” denotes a church
Kennedy: From Gaelic “kean-na-ty,” head of house, or clan chief. Ceannaide also means shopkeeper.
Malone: Descendants of the house of O’Connor, Kings of Connaught, were called Maol Eoin, meaning Bald John.
Martin: (English, Scottish, Irish, French, Dutch, German, Czech, Slovak, or Spanish) May derive from the Roman god of war, Mars, or Latin “martius,” meaning warlike. “Morduin” in Gaelic is a chief or warrior, from “mor” (great) and “duin” (man).
Moore: (Scottish and Gaelic) Great, tall, mighty, proud. A moar is also a collector of manorial rents on the Isle of Man.
Murphy: From old Irish “O’Murchadha,” descendant of sea warrior
Nolan: (Gaelic) “Nuallin,” a diminutive of “nuall,” famous, noble
O’Brien: Descendant of Brien, exalted, noble
O’Donnell, O’Neil: Descendants of Donal (Donald), an ancient Irish family and ancestors of the O’Neills (Nial, Niagallach) who ruled the territory of Tirconnell, for 13 generations.
Patrick: (Really a first name) From the Latin “patricius,” noble, a senator
Ryan: (Gaelic) From O’Ryan or Riaghin, descendant of King Rian; very common in Ireland
Smith: (Anglo-Saxon) “Smitan,” to smite or strike.
“From whence comes Smith, all be he knight or squire,
But from the Smith that forgeth at the fire?”
Among Highland clans, the smith, who obviously made weaponry, ranked third in dignity to the chief. The term also originally applied to artificers in wood and other mechanical workmen, hence the name’s frequency.
Sullivan: (Celtic) From “suil” (eye) and “ban,” (fair); fair-eyed
Taggart: From Welsh “tycwrdd,” a meeting-house, or Gealic “tagair,” to plead a cause, reason, or debate
Walker: (Anglo-Saxon) An occupational surname; in northern England and southern Scotland a fulling-mill is still called a walk-mill, so a walker is a fuller, a patrolling forest officer.
Walsh/Wallis: A Welshman or a Gaul, which Germans pronounced as Wallic (Gaulic)
White: From hair color or complexion. Alternatively derived from the Isle of Wight on the English coast of Hampshire, which has a forest; Welsh “gwydd” means wood.
To look up more Irish names try Searchforancestors.com or, for first names, Irishcentral.com and Behindthenames.com.
Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who lulls herself to sleep dreaming of the Emerald Isle. Sholeh@cdapress.com.