Thanks for reading, Sandy. As an Irish American myself, the best part I feel about Irish heritage is that while the exactness may be lost to time there's a hospitality that spans the island that makes every visitor feel they've come home.
The History of Irish Family Names
Written by Ciaran on Aug 16, 2024 | 16 Comments
According to irishgenealogy.ie there has never been an easier time to trace your Irish Roots and discover the Irish ancestors in your family tree. Thanks to the digital revolution, many dusty records that were formerly stashed away in archives are now available online for all to access.
Tracing Irish Roots
Given that Ireland was one of the earliest adopters of hereditary surnames in Europe, you might expect that it is one of the easier places to trace your roots! But, and you just knew there would be a but didn't you... there are plenty of complications to make tracking your roots a little trickier. Names were often lost in translation from gaelic, spellings were often garbled in transcription, prefixes and suffixes were often dropped and reclaimed from one generation to the next. These factors make tracing Irish roots less than straightforward.
Read on to find out more about the history of Family Names in Ireland and our four tips to remember when tracing your own heritage.
History of Family Names in Ireland
There is some evidence for hereditary names taking hold in Ireland in the early 900s! Scholars believe that this reflects how Irish society was structured with everything focused around the extended family. Your family dictated many things - your occupation, what you could own, who were your friends, and of course who were your enemies! Your name was your tribe and your social currency.
Brian Boru, the last high king and founder of one of the great Irish surnames.
The name of the Father
At this time almost all family names were based on the paternal line with Mac (son of) and Ó (grandson of) with many new names arising in the following generations. A fantastic example of this is the O'Brian (Ó Briain) family name. The children and many descendants of Brian Ború understandably wanted all to know of their connection to the last High King of Ireland. So one of the most common Irish surnames was created.
From one Name comes Many
And this process continued to evolve and change. When Brian Ború’s great grandchildren chose to take the name of their own powerful father, the Mac Mathúna, or McMahon name was born. Several generations later, Constantine (Consaidín) O'Brien, the bishop of Killaloe, started the Mac Consaidín line, and today we have the anglicised surname Considine.
So from this one surname O'Brian, several drastically different names evolved. And that doesn't even take into account the many variations in the spellings of these names!
The Family Coat of Arms for the Bryan name, one of the variations derived from O'Brian line.
Spellings can Change
Translations and transcriptions from Gaelic to English resulted in some entirely different names and variations. O’Brien is now the more common spelling of this old Irish name despite it originally being O'Brian. Ó Foghlú, from foghlaí , became Foley. Mac an Bhreitheamhan, 'son of the judge', became 'Judge'.
Tricky Prefixes and the Return of the Mac
With the anglicisation of many Gaelic names in the 17th Century, Mc and O were treated as almost entirely optional. e.g. Mahon instead of MacMahon.
With the Gaelic revival in the 19th Century, many families reclaimed these lost prefixes - the literal "Return of the Mac"! After the 1916 rising, this trend only grew. Now many names are more well known with their prefix than without. So 'O'Shea' is much more common than 'Shea'. But back in the 1800’s you would have been hard pressed to find many with the name O'Shea while there were thousands with the name Shea.
Genealogy Search Tips
This is all useful information to know when searching the roots of your own family tree. Any search needs to be carried out with an open mind, conscious that your grandparents or great grandparents might be known by another name reflecting some of the potential changes or variations outlined above. Here are our four tips for success:
1) Follow the Paternal line
Given that Irish hereditary names generally follow the name of the father or grandfather (think of Brian Ború), it can be easier to start with a paternal line.
2) Remember prefixes may come and go
A missing Mac or O is nothing to get concerned about. Prefixes like these may come and go - especially if you are searching between the 17th and 19th centuries.
3) Don’t worry too much about spellings either
Names change with translation and transcription. If your search leads you to what might seem like a drastic name change, that might not be the end.
4) Get expert help when you need it
If your search runs cold, and it often does given all the ins and outs of Irish names, it can be useful to enlist the help of an expert. There are many resources to draw on like professional genealogists or free online resources.
Your Own Family Coat of Arms
And of course if on your digging you uncover an Irish root or two of your family tree and are curious to see your own Coat of Arms, please do get in touch. Our beautifully detailed Coat of Arms jewelry is a fantastic way to celebrate Irish Heritage.
Get In Touch
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
Comments
My great great grandfather from Belfast, John Bailey! On my father's side John Bailey's son was Julius Ceaser Bailey my great grandfather.
What fantastic family history Marilyn. Thank you for sharing - imagine there is quite a story there with your great grandfathers famous roman given name too!
My husband's 5th grandparents John Clancy and they are from clearly Ireland we don't have much more then that
Hi Julie, wow! 5 generations is a long way to trace -- it's fantastic that you're looking into history with such an interest. This sounds like the perfect time to link up with some of the genealogists online who specialize in Irish heritage -- there's no doubt a great story waiting to be told! All the best, Liz
I am wondering about the Clancy creast I would like to do something for my husband for his birthday in January
Hi Julie, I've passed your request on to our team in Customer Service and they'll be in touch shortly to help you with this fantastic gift idea. We're always so glad to help our friends around the world realize their Irish heritage dreams so it's a real treat to work with you! Cheers, Liz
I had a dna test done that showed mostly Eastern Europe dna, but their was some Irish. Not sure if it came from a Hutchins part of family or Higan. Is there a way you can tell me? Would love to have a family crest ring and maybe a pendant also. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Hi Theresa, That's a tough one! It's excellent that you took the initiative to look into your family background. We'd recommend next looking into a genealogist to help you unlock even more. There's so much to learn yet! I've passed your information on to our Customer Service team who will be in touch about how our Family Crest Range is designed. I hope that helps! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! All the best, Liz
My 1st relative arrived in New York around The 1850’s Owen McArdle. I am looking for a Family Coat of Arms.
Hi John, How excellent you'd like to know more about your Family History! I've asked our Customer Service team to be in touch with more information on our Family Crest Range. Please do let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Cheers, Liz
My mothers maiden name is Jackson she’s always told me that my granddad was Irish his name was Don Jackson I know that my last name is French but it was not my grandfather‘s original name on my dad side my grandfather‘s original name was sorbonne
Hi Russell, It's fantastic that you're interested in your family roots! We here at My Irish Jeweler have had the pleasure of working with several folks who have multiple aspects of their heritage -- it makes it all so much more fun to parse out! Best of luck with your research and please let us know if we can ever help. All the best, Liz
Hello. How do you find the coat of arms. I found mine a while back but it was hard to tell what was authentic. I want to get a ring for my wedding in the next 6 months but want to make sure its authentic. My family is Irish. First settlers in north Carolina in USA. Our last name originally was mcgaha. My grandmother. Married into conards. Can you give me any info on that and how you know your info would be authentic. I would appreciate it.
Hi Pless, It would be our pleasure to help! I've passed your information on to our Customer Service team but if you'd like to write them directly you can find them at [email protected]. Thanks for reading and reaching out! Cheers, Liz
Ask Gemma
My husband’s father was born in Cork Ireland have never been able to figure exactly.