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How Irish parents give their children first/personal names |
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Irish names have deep origins heavily influenced by Ireland’s long history. The Celts and Christianity have the heaviest influence on Irish names, with the English bringing about some changes in original Irish names. Below is a very brief overview of the different events that helped form Irish names:
- 800 B.C. – Celts arrive via parts of Gaul and Britain (Celts existed across Europe)
- 433 - St. Patrick arrived in Ireland (via Scotland) and spent the next 40 years converting Ireland to Christianity
- 1100s - England gains control of Ireland
- 1700s – Catholics not allowed to vote or join military
- 1800s – Ireland becomes part of Britain
- Late 1800s - National Gaelic revival brings prominence to past traditions/cultures
- 1920s – Ireland becomes a free state
- 2000s – Another Gaelic revival, click here
The Gaelic revival in the 19th/20th centuries not only brought back Gaelic traditions of song and literacy, but it also brought with it many of the Gaelic names originally developed from past legends and folklore. In Ireland you will find many names derived from Celtic and Gaelic cultures, heavily influenced by cultures that at times controlled Ireland.
The Anglicization (definition: to become more English) of Gaelic names was forced upon the Irish by England. The Irish people were made to change their historic Gaelic names to more traditional English names, creating many of the names we are familiar with today in the United States. For example, Breandán (Irish) is Brandon. Or Máiréad (Irish) is Margaret. One reason England forced this upon the Irish is Irish names are difficult to pronounce given their spellings (i.e. Breandán).
As of the 21st century, Gaelic names are making a strong comeback. Several of the Top 100 Baby Names come from Ireland, and their popularity continues to grow.
Irish children are often named after family members. Below are typical traditions (not always followed) used in the Irish culture:
- First son is named after his father's father
- Second son is named after his mother's father
- Third son is named after his father
- Fourth son is named after his father's eldest brother
- Fifth son is named after his mother's eldest brother
- First daughter is named after mother's mother
- Second daughter is named after father's mother
- Third daughter is named after mother
- Fourth daughter is named after mother's eldest sister
- Fifth daughter is named after father's eldest sister
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Irish name
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A formal Irish Gaelic name consists of a given name and a surname, as in English. Surnames in Irish are generally patronymic in etymology, although they are no longer literal patronyms, as Icelandic names are. The form of a surname varies according to whether its bearer is male or female, and in the case of a married woman, whether she chooses to adopt her husband's surname.
An alternative traditional naming convention, not used for official purposes but generalised in Irish-speaking areas, consists of the first name followed by a double patronym. Sometimes the name of the mother or grandmother may be used instead of that of the father or grandfather.
Epithets
A first name may be modified by an adjective to distinguish its bearer from other people with the same name. Óg "young" and Mór "great" are used to distinguish father and son, like English junior and senior, but are placed between the given name and the surname: Seán Óg Ó Súilleabháin corresponds to "John Sullivan, Jr." Adjectives denoting hair color may also be used, especially informally: Pádraig Rua ("red-haired Patrick"), Máire Bhán ("fair-haired Mary").
In former times the word Beag/Beg, meaning "little", would sometimes be used in place of Óg. For example, the grandfather of Cardinal James Gibbons (1834-1921) of Baltimore was Luke Mor Gibbons; one of his sons, an uncle of Cardinal James, was known as Luke Beg (1804-1867). This did not necessarily indicate that the younger Luke was small in stature, merely younger than his father. Sometimes beag would be used to imply a baby was small at birth, particularly when the baby was born less than 9 months after marriage.
Surnames and prefixes
A man's surname generally takes the form Ó (originally "grandson") or Mac ("son") followed by the genitive case of a name, as in Ó Dónaill ("grandson of Dónall") or Mac Gearailt ("son of Gerald"). A son has the same surname as his father. A daughter's surname replaces Ó with Ní (reduced from Iníon Uí "daughter of the grandson of") and Mac with Nic (reduced from Iníon Mhic "daughter of the son of"); in both cases the following name undergoes lenition. Thus the daughter of a man named Ó Dónaill has the surname Ní Dhónaill and the daughter of a man named Mac Gearailt has the surname Nic Ghearailt. If, however, the second part of the surname begins with the letter C, it is not lenited after Nic: Nic Carthaigh.
If a woman marries, she may choose to take her husband's surname. In this case, Ó is replaced by Bean Uí ("wife of the grandson of") and Mac by Bean Mhic ("wife of the son of"). In both cases bean may be omitted, in which case the woman uses simply Uí or Mhic. Again, the second part of the surname is lenited (unless it begins with C, in which case it is only lenited after Uí). Thus a woman marrying a man named Ó Dónaill may choose to be use Bean Uí Dhónaill or Uí Dhónaill as her surname; a woman marrying a man named Mac Gearailt may choose to use Bean Mhic Ghearailt or Mhic Ghearailt.
If the second part of the surname begins with a vowel, the form Ó attaches an h to it, as in Ó hUiginn (O'Higgins) or Ó hAodha (Hughes). The other forms effect no change: Ní Uiginn, (Bean) Uí Uiginn; Mac Aodha, Nic Aodha, Mhic Aodha, and so forth.
Mag is often used instead of Mac before a vowel or the silent fh. Ua is an alternative form of Ó.
Traditional Gaeltacht names
In Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas it remains customary to use a name composed of the first name, followed by the father's name in the genitive case, followed by the name of the paternal grandfather, also in the genitive. Thus Seán Ó Cathasaigh, son of Pól, son of Séamus, would be known to his neighbours as Seán Phóil Shéamuis. Occasionally, if the mother or grandmother was a well-known person locally, her name may be used instead of that of the father or grandfather. If the mother's name is used, then that of the maternal grandfather (or potentially grandmother) follows it.
These names are not used for official purposes. Often a nickname or English version of a name is used in their composition where the person would use a standard Irish form in formal circumstances. For example, the prominent sean-nós singer Seán Mac Dhonnchadha is perhaps better known as Johnny Mhairtín Learaí.
First or given names
The Irish have a traditional system for naming children: the first son is named after the father's father, the second son after the mother's father, the third son after the father. The first daughter after the mother's mother, the second daughter after the father's mother, the third daughter after the mother. Any further children are named by the parents' choice. This has led to some spectacular names being made more common, for example there are plenty of Assumptas and Perpetuas, and many girls were named after Saints Theresa and Bernadette in the 1950s shortly after they were canonised. Many families still adhere to this way of naming children, although it is becoming less common nowadays with the influx of more secular names from the world of TV and popular music. Traditional names or Irish versions of Anglicised names are also used, e.g. Seán (from Norman French Jean), and Gráinne for Grace. Its possible for several cousins to have exactly the same name, eg. Daniel Murphy, if all their fathers were brothers, and they are named after the same grandfather. To avoid confusion a pet name may be used, or a middle name eg Daniel Patrick may be called Dan Pat, and Daniel John may be called Danny John.
For more information on Irish names and a list of Irish-language names, see List of Irish given names.
Partial list of anglicised surnames
Many Irish people use English (or at least anglicised) forms of their names in English-language contexts and Irish forms in Irish-language contexts. The Irish names of some famous people include:
Partial list of Gaelic surnames
Other people are better known by their Irish name than by their English name:
Common equivalent forms of Christian names in Irish and English
Many Irish given names were replaced by English equivalents that sounded something like the original Gaelic form (at least to English ears) but were etymologically unrelated. Examples include:
| Irish (Gaelic) name |
English/anglicised form |
| Aodh |
Hugh |
| Aoibhe |
Eva |
| Aoife |
Eve |
| Cathal |
Charles |
| Cú Chonnacht |
Constantine |
| Donnchadh |
Denis |
| Domhnall / Dónall |
Daniel |
| Fearganainm |
Ferdinand |
| Fionnuala / Nuala |
Frances |
| Giolla na Naomh |
Nehemiah |
| Gráinne |
Grace |
| Maol Mhuire |
Myles |
| Maoileachlainn |
Malachy |
| Siobhán |
Susan |
| Sorcha |
Sarah |
| Tadhg |
Timothy |
| Tomaltchach |
Thomas or Timothy |
| Toirdhealbhach |
Terence |
| Úna |
Agnes |
Irish surnames in Irish and English
Gaelic surnames:
- Ó Branagáin (O'Brannigan, Branagan, Brangan, Brannigan)
- Ó Braonáin/Mac Braonáin (Brennan)
- Ó Briain (O'Brien)
- Ó Broin (Byrne)
- Ó Cathain / Ó Cahan (O'Kane, Kane, McCain, Keane, Kean, Cain)
- Ó Ceallaigh (Kelly)
- Ó Cinnéide (Kennedy)
- Cinnseallaigh (Kinsella)
- Ó Conchobhair (O Connor, Connors)
- Ó Conghaile/Mac Conghaile/Ó Cionnfhaolaidh(Connolly/Conneely/Kennelly)
- Ó Cuinn (Quinn)
- Craig (Craig, also a first name)
- Ó Dálaigh (Daly/O'Daly/Daley)
- Ó Dochartaigh/Ó Dubhartaigh (Doherty)
- Ó Dónaill (O'Donnell)
- Ó Dubhthaigh (Duffy/O'Duffy)
- Ó Flaithbheartaigh (O Flaherty)
- Ó hAodha (Hughes/Hayes)
- Ó hEadhra (O'Hara)
- Ó hEidhin (Hynes)
- Ó Murchadha, Mac Murchaidh (Murphy)
- Ó Muirí (Murray)
- Ó Néill (O Neill)
- Ó Loingsigh/Mac Loinsigh/(Lynch, Lynchy, Lynskey)
- Ó Laocha (Leahy)
- Ó Maoilriain/Ó Riain (Ryan)
- Ó Maoláin (Mullins, Mullin, Mullen)
- Ó Mordha/Mac Gilla Mhuire(Moore)
- Ó Sirideain (Sheridan)
- Ó Súileabháin (O'Sullivan)
- Ó Teamhnainn (Tynan)
- Mac an Airchinnigh (McInerney/Kinnerk/Nerney)
- Mac Cárthaigh (MacCarty)
- Mac Cinnéide (Kennedy)
- Mac Con Fhiacla (Tuite)
- Mac Cormaic (McCormack)
- Mac Cuinn (Quinn)
- Mac Gilla Mhartain/Ó Mael Mairthin/Ó Mhairtin/Mac Mairtin (GilMartin, KilMartin, Martin, Martyn)
- Mac Giolla Bhríde (McBride)
- Mac Giolla Mhuire/Mac Muireadhaigh/Ó Muireadhaigh(Murray)
- Mac Fhirbhisigh (Forbes)
- Mac Gille Mo Chuda (MacGillacuddy)
- Mac Murchadha Caomhánach (Mac Murrough, Mac Morrow, Mac Murrough Kavanagh, Kavanagh)
- Mac Lochlainn/Mac Loughlin/Ó Mael Sechlainn/Ó Mael Sechnaill/ (MacLoughlin)
- Mac Piers (MacPierce/Pierce)
- Mac Uidhir (Maguire/McGuire)
- Mac Eochaidh (Keogh/Kehoe)
- Ua Maol Dhómhnaigh (Downey, Gildowney, Maloney, many others)
Viking surnames:
- Doyle, MacDougall (Dubh Gall)
- Harald (Haraldsson)
- Higgins (h-Uiginn, i.e., a Viking)
- MacAuliffe/Auley/Cauley (Olsson)
- MacCottor (Ottarsson)
- MacKitterick (Strigsson)
- MacManus (Magnusson)
- Wood (Wode, meaning mad; described Beserkers)
Norman/Norman-French surnames:
- Archdecon (le Ercedekne, Mac Óda)
- Barry(de Barri/ de Barra)
- Brett (le Breton or le Bret)
- Burke (de Burgh/ de Búrca)
- Cheevers (la Chieve)
- Courcy (de Courcy)
- de Bhaldraithe
- Nagle (de Nagle)
- FitzGerald (fils de (son of) Gerald)
- FitzHenry (fils de (son of) Henri)
- FitzStephen (fils de (son of) Stephen)
- Hussey (de Hose)
- Jordan (fitz Jordan)
- Lacey (de Lacy)
- Loundon (de Loudon)
- Lynch (de Lench)
- Marron (de Marin)
- Moore (de Mórdha)
- Perry (de Poire)
- Plunkett (Blanquet)
- Power (le Poer/ de Paor)
- Tuite (de Tiúit)
- Wall (de Laval)
- Whitty (de Faoite)
Dutch surnames:
- Baldwin (Boudewijn)
- Fleming (vlaming)
Welsh surnames:
- Caddell (ap Cadel)
- Cadogan (ap Cadwgn)
- Conway (ap Conwy)
- Griffin (ap Gruffydd)
- Joyce (Sais)
- Merrick (ap Meruig)
- Rice (ap Rhys)
- Rerys (ap Rerys)
- Taffe (Daffydd)
- Walsh (Breathnach)
Cornish surnames:
- Penrose (ap Rhys)
- Trevelyan
Anglo-Saxon surnames:
- Ayleward (Ailwerd)
- Barrett (Barat)
- Dolphin (Dolfin)
- Lawless (laighles)
- Penney (Pingin)
- Sherlock (Scurlóg)
- Skerrett (Huscarl)
- White (Fwyte)
Gallowglass surnames:
Normanised Gaelic surnames:
- FitzDermot (Mac Gilla Mo-Cholmoc)
- FitzPatrick (Mac Giolla Phádraig)
Gaelicised Norman-era surnames:
- Mac Coisdeala (son of Josclyn de Nangle); anglicised as Costello.
- Mac Fheorais (son of Piers de Bermingham); anglicised as Corish.
- Mac Giobúin (son of Gilbert de Burgh); anglicised as Gibbons.
- Mac Sheoinín (son of Seán Óg de Burgh); anglicised as Jennings.
- Mac Uilic (son of Ulick de Burgh of Umhall); anglicised as Gillick.
- Mac Siurtáin (Jordan), patronymic of the d'Exeter family.
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