Irish Surnames
Irish names are used on the island of Ireland as well as elsewhere in the Western World as a result of the Irish diaspora. See also about Irish names.
472 surnames in our directory
Irish
472Durnin is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Doirnáin, meaning "descendant of Doirnín," a personal name that translates to "little fist." This etymology reflects a common pattern in Irish patronymics, where the p...
Etymology & OriginFannon is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Fionnáin, meaning "descendant of Fionn." This name taps into a rich vein of Irish mythology and history, as Fionn (also anglicized as Finn) is a lege...
Ferguson is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Fergus." It originated in Scotland and Ireland, where it is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Macfhearghus, reflecting the deep-rooted Celtic tradition of identifying indi...
Finn is an Irish surname with multiple possible origins. The most common derivation is from the Irish Ó Finn, meaning "descendant of Fionn." The byname fionn itself means "white" or "fair-haired," referring to a physical...
Finnin is a surname of Irish origin, functioning as a diminutive form of Finn. The name Finn itself derives from the Irish given name Fionn. The root of the name, Fionn, comes from the Old Irish word finn, meaning “white...
Fitzgerald is an Irish surname of Anglo-Norman origin, shared by people of Irish heritage worldwide. It entered Ireland after the Norman conquest of England when a branch of the Geraldine family settled there. The name d...
Fitzpatrick is an Irish surname most commonly arising as an anglicized form of Mac Giolla Phádraig, meaning "son of the devotee of (Saint) Patrick". In some cases, it may also result from anglicization of the distinct pa...
Fitzsimmons is a surname of Norman origin, common in both Ireland and England. The name means "son of Simon" in Anglo-Norman French. It is a variant of the surname Fitzsimons, and the two are often used interchangeably....
Flanagon is a variant spelling of the Irish surname Flanagan, most commonly found in the Irish diaspora. The name Flanagan itself derives from the Gaelic patronymic Ó Flannagáin, meaning “descendant of Flannagán.” The pe...
Foley is an Irish surname derived from the Irish Ó Foghladha, meaning "descendant of Foghlaidh". The byname Foghlaidh itself is rooted in the Irish word foghlaí, meaning "pirate, marauder, plunderer" — a reflection of th...
Friel is an Irish surname, derived from the Gaelic Ó Frighil, meaning "descendant of Fearghal." The root name Fearghal, a modern Irish Gaelic form of Fergal, means "man of valour," composed of the Old Irish elements fer...
Fylan is an Irish surname, a variant of Whelan.Etymology and OriginThe surname Fylan derives from the Irish Gaelic Ó Faoláin, meaning "descendant of Faolán." The personal name Faolán is a diminutive of the Old Irish fáel...
Gilmore is an Irish and Scottish surname with a deeply religious origin. Derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacGilleMhoire or the Irish Gaelic Mac Giolla Mhuire, it means "son of the servant of Moire." Moire is the Scottis...
Gilmour is a variant of the Irish and Scottish surname Gilmore. The name originates from the Gaelic personal names MacGilleMhoire (Scottish Gaelic) or Mac Giolla Mhuire (Irish Gaelic), meaning "son of the servant of Moir...
Gorman 2 is an Irish surname derived from the original Gaelic Ó Gormáin, meaning "descendant of Gormán." The personal name Gormán itself comes from gorm, the Irish word for "blue," combined with the diminutive suffix -án...
Gough 2 is an Irish surname that represents the Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic Mag Eochadha, meaning "son of Eochaidh". The root name Eochaidh derives from the Old Irish Eochaid, which itself stems from the element...
Guinness is an Irish surname, a variant of McGuinness. The name is derived from the Irish Mag Aonghuis, meaning "son of Aonghus," a personal name rooted in Old Irish and often etymologically associated with "one strength...
Halloran is an Irish surname with deep historical roots, originating from the Gaelic Ó hAllmhuráin. The name means "descendant of Allmhurán," where the personal name Allmhurán is derived from allmhurach, meaning "foreign...
Hanegan is an Irish surname, a variant of O'Hannagain, and part of a broader family of Anglicized forms derived from the same Gaelic root. The etymology traces back to the Irish Ó hAnnagáin, meaning "descendant of Annagá...
Etymology and OriginHanigan is a surname of Irish origin, representing a variant of O'Hannagain. The original Irish form, Ó hAnnagáin, means "descendant of Annagán." The personal name Annagán is a diminutive of Annadh, w...
Hannigan is an Irish surname, a variant of O'Hannagain. The name originates from the Irish Gaelic Ó hAnnagáin, meaning "descendant of Annagán." The personal name Annagán is a diminutive of Annadh, which translates to "de...
Hannigen is a variant of the Irish surname O'Hannagain. The original form, O'Hannagain, is derived from the Irish Ó hAnnagáin, which means "descendant of Annagán". The personal name Annagán was a diminutive of Annadh, a...
Hayden 2 is an Irish surname, representing an anglicized form of the Gaelic names Ó hÉideáin or Ó hÉidín. The original Irish surnames indicate a family lineage: Ó meaning 'descendant of', followed by a personal name. Ety...
Hayes is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó hAodha, meaning "descendant of Aodh". In Irish tradition, Aodh is a name of great antiquity, deriving from Old Irish Áed, which meant "fire." This connection to element...
Hearn is an Irish surname that is primarily an anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna. The original Irish name means "descendant of Echthigern", an Old Irish personal name composed of the elements ech "horse" and tigerna "...
Heffernan is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó hIfearnáin, meaning "descendant of Ifearnán". The personal name Ifearnán itself is a diminutive from Old Irish ifernn (hell), with the suffix -án, giving a literal...
Hennessy is an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó hAonghuis, meaning "descendant of Aonghus." Aonghus (from Old Irish Óengus) is a name of ancient origin, possibly meaning "one strength" from óen "one" an...
Hickey is an anglicized Irish surname, derived from the original Gaelic Ó hÍcidhe, meaning "descendant of the healer". The root word íccaid or ícidhe in Old Irish relates to healing, reflecting a historical occupation or...
Etymology and OriginHiggins is an anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hUiginn, meaning "descendant of Uiginn." The personal name Uiginn itself is a byname derived from the Old Norse word for "Viking," reflecting the i...
Hines is an Irish surname, predominantly an Anglicized form of the original Gaelic Ó hEidhin, meaning 'descendant of Eidhin'. The personal name or byname Eidhin is of uncertain origin; it may derive from eidhean, the Iri...
Hogan is an Irish surname derived from the native Gaelic Ó hÓgáin, meaning "descendant of Ógán". The personal name Ógán is a diminutive of óg, the Irish word for "young", thus the name ultimately connotes a youthful desc...
Hughes 2 is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh." This surname is primarily associated with Irish and Scottish usage, reflecting the historical Anglicization of Gaelic names under Engl...
Hyland 2 is a variant of the surname Whelan, which itself is an Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Faoláin meaning "descendant of Faolán." The root name Faolán derives from Old Irish fáel "wolf" combined with a diminutive su...
Hynes is an Irish surname, most commonly an anglicized variant of Hines, which itself derives from the Gaelic Ó hEidhin, meaning "descendant of Eidhin." The personal name Eidhin is of uncertain origin; it may be related...
Ivers is an English and Irish surname with patronymic origins, derived from the given name Ivor. Ivor itself comes from the Old Norse name Ívarr, likely composed of the elements ýr “yew tree, bow” and herr “army, warrior...
Kavanagh is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Caomhánach, meaning "a student of saint Caomhán." The name originated with Domhnall Caomhánach, a 12th-century king of Leinster and the eldest son of Diarmait Mac Murc...
Kavanah is a variant of the more common Irish surname Kavanagh. While the name Kavanagh appears similar to the Hebrew term kavanah (meaning "intention" or "sincere devotion" in a Jewish religious context), the Irish surn...
Kavanaugh is an Irish surname, representing a variant of Kavanagh. The name is rooted in the Gaelic Caomhánach, which historically denoted a follower or student of Saint Caomhán, with Caomhán derived from the Old Irish c...
Kearney is an Irish surname derived from the native Gaelic patronymic Ó Ceithearnaigh, meaning "descendant of Ceithearnach." The personal name Ceithearnach is a term that translates to "warrior" or "foot-soldier," reflec...
Kelly is an Irish surname, the third most common in Ireland, derived from the anglicization of the Gaelic Ó Ceallaigh, meaning "descendant of Ceallach." The ancestral root is the Old Irish personal name Cellach, whose pr...
Key 2 is an Irish surname that is an Anglicized form of Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh." The name Aodh in turn derives from Old Irish Áed, meaning "fire." This masculine given name was hugely popular in early Ireland, b...
Keyes is an Anglicized surname of Irish origin. It represents an Anglicized form of the Gaelic patronymic Mac Aodha, meaning “son of Aodh.” This Irish name is further derived from elements meaning “fire,” and has histori...
Keys 2 is an Irish surname that originated as an Anglicized form of Mac Aodha. The prefix Mac means "son of," and Aodh is an Old Irish male given name meaning "fire" (from Old Irish Áed). Therefore, the surname literally...
Kilduff is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Giolla Dhuibh, meaning "son of the black-haired man." The name combines giolla (servant, devotee) and dubh (black), reflecting a common descriptive epithet in Irish...
Killough is a locational surname of Irish origin. It indicates a person who originated from a place called Killough, the best known being the village of Killough (Irish Cill Locha, "church of the loch") on the coast of C...
Kilpatrick is an Irish surname, derived from the Gaelic Mac Giolla Phádraig, meaning "son of the servant of Saint Pádraig (Patrick)". This traditional Gaelic naming pattern indicates a familial or occupational devotion t...
Lane 3 is an Irish surname, representing an alternative anglicization of the native Gaelic surname Ó Luain. The prefix Ó indicates "descendant of," while Luain is a personal name thought to mean "warrior." The '3' in the...
EtymologyLannon is a surname of Irish origin, functioning as a variant form of the more familiar surname Lennon. Both surnames derive from the Irish personal name or byname Leannán, which translates to "lover" or "sweeth...
Lynch is a prominent Anglo-Norman surname with distinct but intertwined origins in both Ireland and England. In its most widespread Irish form, it originates from the Gaelic Ó Loingsigh, meaning “descendant of Loingseach...
Mac Alastair is an Irish Gaelic surname, equivalent to the Scottish McAlister, meaning "son of Alistair." The name originated as a patronymic, indicating descent from a father named Alasdair, the Scottish Gaelic form of...
Mac Amhalghaidh is the original Irish Gaelic form of the surname McCauley. It is a masculine surname that translates as “son of Amhalghadh,” referring to a personal name of uncertain meaning from Old Irish Amalgaid. The...
Mac an Aba is a Gaelic surname predominantly associated with Irish and Scottish origins. It is the original Gaelic form of the subsequently Anglicized McNab, meaning "son of the abbot."The name traces its roots to the ea...
Mac an Bhaird is an Irish Gaelic surname meaning 'son of the bard'. Its literal meaning stems from the Irish words mac ('son') and bard ('poet'), reflecting its origins as a hereditary family of poets and scholars in med...
Mac an Ghoill is a Gaelic surname originating in Ireland and Scotland. It is the original Gaelic form of the anglicized surname McGill, meaning "son of the foreigner" (mac "son of" + an ghoill, genitive of gall "foreigne...
Mac an tSagairt is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname meaning "son of the priest". It is the original Gaelic form of the more commonly anglicized surname Taggart. The name originates from a historical period when cleri...
Mac Aodha is a traditional Irish surname meaning "son of Aodh" in Irish. The name Aodh, an old and powerful personal name from early Ireland, is derived from Old Irish Áed, meaning "fire." As a patronymic surname formed...
Mac Aodhagáin is the Irish Gaelic form of Keegan, an Anglicized surname derived from the same original. The name means "son of Aodhagán," where Aodhagán is a double diminutive of Aodh, an old Irish name meaning "fire." T...
Mac Branáin is an Irish surname meaning "son of Branán" in Irish. The given name Branán is a diminutive of Bran 1, which means "raven" in Irish. In Irish legend, Bran mac Febail was a mariner who embarked on adventures t...
MacBride is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Giolla Bhrighde, which originates from the Gaelic Mac Giolla Bríghde (Irish) or Mac Gille Bríghde (Scottish). The name translates to "son of the servant of Brighid...
Etymology Mac Cába is the original Gaelic form of the surname commonly anglicized as McCabe. It is a patronymic name meaning "son of Cába", where Cába is a byname derived from the word meaning "cape, cloak" or "helmet",...