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
472O'Hara is an Irish surname, derived from the original Irish form Ó hEaghra, which means "descendant of Eaghra." The personal name Eaghra is of uncertain origin, but it is supposedly the name of the 10th-century ancestor...
Ó hEachthighearna is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Echthigern" in Irish.EtymologyThe name is derived from the Old Irish ech meaning "horse" and tigerna meaning "lord", so the original personal name Echthigern m...
Ó hEaghra is the original Irish Gaelic form of the surname O'Hara, anglicized through the omission of accents and the addition of the apostrophe. The name belongs to a well-known Irish clan originating from the province...
O'Hearn is an anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hEachthighearna, meaning "descendant of Echthigern." The personal name Echthigern derives from Old Irish ech "horse" and tigerna "lord," thus meaning "horse lord." Thi...
Ó hÉideáin is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Éideán". The personal name Éideán is a diminutive derived from éideadh, the Irish word for "clothes" or "armour". This etymology suggests a possible occupational or d...
Ó hEidhin is the original Irish Gaelic form of the surname Hines. It represents a classic Gaelic patronymic surname, constructed with the prefix Ó, meaning "descendant of."Etymology and OriginsThe name derives from the p...
Ó hÉidín is an Irish surname that signifies familial descent from an ancestor named Éidín. The prefix Ó denotes "grandson" or "descendant of" in Gaelic, making this name a classic Irish patronymic. Éidín itself is a dimi...
Ó hEidirsceóil is the original Irish Gaelic form of the well-known surname Driscoll. Derived from the Gaelic elements Ó meaning "descendant of" and Eidirsceol, a personal name interpreted as "messenger" or "go-between" (...
Ó hÍcidhe is the original Irish Gaelic form of the surname Hickey. Derived from the Gaelic Ó hÍcidhe, it means "descendant of the healer."Origin and meaningThe name traces back to the personal name Ícidhe, which likely r...
Ó hIfearnáin is an Irish Gaelic surname, derived from the earlier Heffernan. The root meaning traces to the word Ifearnán, a diminutive form of the Irish word ifreann meaning 'hell' or 'demon', hence "descendant of the l...
Ó hÓgáin is an Irish surname that represents the original Gaelic spelling of Hogan. The name is an Irish Gaelic patronymic, meaning “descendant of Ógán.” The personal name Ógán itself is derived from the Irish word óg (“...
Ó hUiginn is an Irish Gaelic surname of a distinguished family of soldiers, poets, and historians originally from the southern Uí Néill in the Irish midlands. Over time, they migrated west into Connacht, where they becam...
O'Kane is an Irish surname, anglicized from the native Gaelic Ó Catháin, meaning "descendant of Cathán." The personal name Cathán is derived from Old Irish cath "battle" combined with a diminutive suffix, thus conveying...
O'Keefe is a variant of the Irish surname Keefe, which itself is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic patronymic Ó Caoimh, meaning “descendant of Caomh.” The root name Caomh derives from the Old Irish word caomh, meaning “de...
Ó Laoghaire is an Irish Gaelic surname, the native form of the widely known O'Leary. It originates from the Gaelic patronymic Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire."EtymologyThe personal name Laoghaire is a moder...
Ó Leannáin is an Irish Gaelic surname, representing a variant form of Lennon. The name originates from the Gaelic byname Leannán, meaning "lover" or "paramour". This byname was used to describe a person characterized by...
O'Leary is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire"—a personal name often interpreted as "keeper of the calves" or "calf herder." The name's root, Lóegaire, comes from Old I...
Ó Loingsigh is an Irish surname originating from the Gaelic patronymic tradition, meaning "descendant of Loingseach". The personal name Loingseach itself derives from the Irish word loingseach, meaning "mariner" or "seaf...
Ó Luain is an Irish Gaelic surname, the original form of the anglicized surname Lane. It derives from the Old Irish phrase Ó Luain, meaning "descendant of Luan". The personal name Luan is thought to mean "warrior" in Gae...
Ó Madaidhín is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Madaihín", a given name derived from Irish madadh meaning "dog, mastiff". The name traces its origins to the Gaelic noble families of Ireland, particularly associate...
Ó Máille is an Irish Gaelic surname derived from mál, meaning “nobleman,” and stands as one of the most historically significant family names in the west of Ireland. The prefix Ó denotes “descendant of,” thus the name or...
Ó Mainnín is an Irish Gaelic surname meaning "descendant of Mainchín." It is equivalent to the Anglicized form Manning. The root name Mainchín is a diminutive of Old Irish manach "monk," thus translating to "little monk....
O'Malley is an Irish surname, anglicized from the Gaelic Ó Máille. The original Irish form means "descendant of a nobleman" or "descendant of a chief," deriving from the Gaelic word mál, which can also connote "slow" or...
Ó Manacháin is the original Irish Gaelic form of the surname Monahan. Derived from the root Ó Manacháin, it means "descendant of Manacháin", with Manacháin itself being a given name meaning "little monk", from manach "mo...
Ó Maoil Eoin is the original Irish Gaelic form of the surname Malone. It is a patronymic surname meaning "descendant of a disciple of Saint John," deriving from the Gaelic elements maol ("disciple" or "servant") and Eoin...
Ó Maoil Riain is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of a follower of Rian", derived from the Irish word maol meaning "follower" (or “devotee”). The name originates as a patronymic, indicating that the original bearer w...
Ó Maoilsheachlainn is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Maolsheachlann." The name is deeply rooted in Irish history and onomastics, tracing its origins back to the ancient Gaelic personal name Máel Sechnaill, which...
Ó Maolagáin is an Irish surname, the original Gaelic form later anglicized as Milligan. It means 'descendant of Maolagán', where Maolagán is a personal name derived from maol, referring to 'bald' or 'tonsured'. In early...
Etymology Ó Maoláin is a Gaelic-Irish surname meaning “descendant of Maolán”. The personal name Maolán derives from maol, “devotee, servant, tonsured one”, originally referring to a religious devotee or a monk. The surna...
Ó Maol Aodha is an Irish surname with the literal meaning "descendant of a follower of Saint Aodh." Derived from the Irish word maol, meaning "follower" or "servant," it signifies devotion to Aodh, an old Irish personal...
Ó Maol Bhréanáin is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of a follower of Saint Brendan" in Irish.The name falls into a common pattern of Irish surnames beginning with Ó followed by Maol, indicating devotion to a particu...
Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh is the Irish Gaelic original form of the anglicized surname Moloney. The name derives from the Irish phrase meaning "descendant of a church servant," referring to an individual who served in a clerical...
Ó Maolmhuaidh is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Maolmhuadh", where the given name Maolmhuadh is composed of Gaelic elements maol meaning "chief" and muadh meaning "proud, noble" — thus "proud chief". Etymology a...
Ó Maonaigh is an Irish Gaelic surname, the original form of the anglicized O'Mooney. The name is derived from the Gaelic prefix Ó meaning "descendant of" and the personal name Maonaigh, which itself means "wealthy". Thus...
Ó Marcaigh is an Irish Gaelic surname, the original form of the anglicized Markey. The name derives from the personal name Marcach, meaning "horse rider" or "horseman" in Gaelic. As a patronymic, Ó Marcaigh signifies "de...
Ó Mathghamhna is the original Irish Gaelic form of the Mahoney surname, historically borne by a prominent clan from Munster. Derived from the Old Irish Mathgamain, meaning "bear" (a compound of math andgamuín), the name...
Ó Meadhra is a Gaelic-Irish surname meaning "descendant of Meadhra". The given name Meadhra is derived from the Gaelic meadhar meaning "merry, happy".Origins and HistoryAccording to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Mea...
Ó Meara is an Irish surname, originally an anglicized variant of Ó Meadhra. The name derives from the Gaelic root meadhar, meaning "merry" or "happy", and signifies "descendant of Meadhra". The given name Meadhra itself...
Ó Mocháin is an Irish Gaelic surname, the original form of the modern surname Mohan. The name derives from the personal name Mochán, a diminutive formed from moch meaning "early, timely" or, alternatively, from a word me...
O'Mooney is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Maonaigh, meaning "descendant of Maonaigh." The personal name Maonaigh itself translates to "wealthy," reflecting a probable ancestral association with prosperity or...
Ó Móráin is an Irish Gaelic surname, anglicized as Moran. It originated as a patronymic name meaning “descendant of Mórán,” where "Mórán" is a personal name derived from the Gaelic word "mór" (meaning "great" or "big") p...
Ó Muircheartach is an Irish Gaelic surname meaning "descendant of Muirchertach." The given name Muirchertach itself translates to "mariner" in Irish, reflecting a connection to the sea. This surname is the original Gaeli...
Ó Muireadhaigh is an Irish Gaelic surname meaning "descendant of Muireadhach." The personal name Muireadhach derives from Old Irish Muiredach, meaning "lord, master", and was borne by several legendary and historical kin...
Ó Murchadha is the original Irish Gaelic form of the widespread surname Murphy. In Irish, the prefix 'Ó' means 'descendant of', so the name literally denotes a descendant of Murchadh. The root Murchadh (also Anglicized a...
O'Neal is a surname of Irish origin, being an anglicized form of Ó Néill, meaning "descendant of Neil." It is a variant of the more common O'Neill, found particularly in County Tyrone and elsewhere in Ulster. The name be...
Ó Néill is the original Irish Gaelic form of the surname commonly anglicized as O'Neal. It is derived from the Irish phrase Ó Néill, meaning "descendant of Neil." The personal name Neil ultimately traces back to the Old...
O'Neill is a prominent Irish surname, a variant of O'Neal. Both names are anglicized forms of the Irish Gaelic Ó Néill, meaning "descendant of Neil." The root name Neil (or Niall) is of disputed origin, possibly derived...
O'Niall is a variant of the Irish surname O'Neal, which itself derives from the Gaelic Ó Néill, meaning "descendant of Neil." The name Neil (Irish Niall) is of disputed etymology, possibly from the Old Celtic root nītu-...
Ó Nualláin is an Irish Gaelic surname, the original form of the Anglicized surname Nolan. It derives from the given name Nuallán, which is a diminutive of nuall, meaning "famous" or "loud", combined with a diminutive suf...
Ó Proinntigh is an Irish Gaelic surname, representing the original spelling and pronunciation history of the anglicized surname Prunty. The name means 'descendant of Proinnteach', a given name likely derived from the Iri...
Ó Rabhartaigh is the Irish Gaelic form of the surname Rafferty. It is derived from the Irish word rabharta, meaning "flood tide" or "stormy sea," and originally belonged to a medieval Irish clan. The name is traditionall...
Ó Raghailligh is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Raghailligh." The given name Raghailligh, from which the surname derives, is of uncertain etymology. This surname is closely related to the more common anglicized...
Etymology O'Reilly is a common Irish surname, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Raghailligh. The original Irish name means "descendant of Raghailligh", with Raghailligh being a personal name of unknown etymology. Varian...
Ó Riagáin is an Irish Gaelic surname that serves as the original form of the Anglicized name Reagan. The name derives from the Old Irish personal name Riagán, believed to be a diminutive of riag, meaning "impulse" or "ra...
Etymology and HistoryÓ Riain is a Gaelic Irish surname, best known in its Anglicized form Ryan. The name is a patronymic, meaning it denotes descent from an ancestor. The prefix Ó (also written as such or anglicized as O...
Ó Rinn is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Rinn". The root given name Rinn means "star" in the Irish language. The name belongs to the class of Irish patronymic surnames formed with the prefix Ó (originally Ua), w...
Ó Ríoghbhárdáin is an Irish Gaelic surname, the original form of the anglicized Reardon and Riordan. It is derived from the given name Rígbarddán, which means "little poet of the king" — from Old Irish rí "king" (genitiv...
Orman is an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh. The original Irish name means "descendant of Ruadh." The element Ruadh derives from a Gaelic byname meaning "red" (from Old Irish rúad), often used as a nickname...
Ó Rodagh is an Irish surname meaning "descendant of Rodach". The personal name Rodach derives from the Irish element rod, signifying "spirited" or "furious." This patronymic surname reflects a common Gaelic naming tradit...
Ó Ruadháin is an Irish surname meaning “descendant of Ruadhán.” The personal name Ruadhán derives from Old Irish Rúadán, composed of rúad (“red”) and a diminutive suffix, giving the sense “little red one.” This surname i...