Read the full version of this article and much more expert family history advice in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine<\/em> June 2023<\/a>, on sale now<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> The names were created in the ancient language of Ireland, also known as Gaelic. Early Irish surnames were formed by prefixing Mac or \u00d3\/U\u00e1 to the first name of the father (Mac) or grandfather or earlier ancestor (\u00d3) \u2013 Mac being the Irish for \u2018son\u2019 and U\u00e1 or \u00d3 being the Irish for \u2018grandson\u2019 or \u2018descendant\u2019. Before the names were anglicised, female descendants took the prefix N\u00ed (from In\u00edon U\u00ed \u2018daughter of\u2019) or Nic (from In\u00edon Mhic, \u2018daughter of the son of\u2019), but the female form did not make its way into the lexicon of Irish surnames and is only used by Irish speakers.<\/p>\n Irish names also developed from the occupation, trade, distinguishing feature or characteristic of the predecessor, and nearly always began with the Mac or \u00d3 prefixes.<\/p>\n In his key work The Surnames of Ireland<\/em><\/a> (Irish University Press, 1969), MacLysaght cites the examples giolla and maol, derived from the Irish for \u2018follower\u2019, \u2018servant\u2019 or \u2018devotee\u2019. The modern name Gilmartin derives from Mac Giolla Mhartain, meaning \u2018son of a devotee of St Martin\u2019. It is worth noting that many Gil surnames can also appear as Kil by the 19th and 20th centuries. In fact, you may find a single family who are listed as Gilmartin and Kilmartin in different records.<\/p>\n The surname McAteer is from the Irish Mac an tSaoir based on the Irish word saor, meaning \u2018craftsman\u2019. The name McIntyre in Scotland<\/a> has a similar derivation. The name Mangan is from the Irish \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in which is derived from the Irish word mongach meaning \u2018long-haired\u2019.<\/p>\n Later surnames developed from the epithet without the Mac or \u00d3 such as Duff, from dubh (\u2018black\u2019), which never had a prefix.<\/p>\n The arrival of English introduced changes to Irish family names. MacLysaght cites the example of McGowan, from the Irish Mac an Ghabhann, \u2018son of the smith\u2019, which may have also been translated to the English surname Smith. He claims that this may be the origin of the many Smith families found in County Cavan.<\/p>\n Another of MacLysaght\u2019s examples is the surname Mac an Bhreitheamhan, \u2018son of the judge\u2019, breitheamh being the Irish for \u2018judge\u2019 or a system of arbitration in ancient Ireland. From this word also comes the term Brehon, a system of early Irish law. Mac an Breitheamhan was anglicised as MacEbrehowne, which was shortened to MacEbrehan, MacAbrehan, later MacAbreham and finally to Abraham, which has no connection to the biblical name. Breheny and Judge are also anglicised or translated forms of the same surname.<\/p>\n Some surnames were mistakenly translated from the wrong Irish word. MacLysaght cites the surname MacEneany, which was translated to Bird in the mistaken belief that the Irish root was ean meaning \u2018bird\u2019.<\/p>\n Over centuries, Irish surnames were translated into English or anglicised. It was not until the resurgence of the Irish language in the 19th century that we see some Irish surnames revert to a version of the original.<\/p>\n We are all aware of Irish surnames with the prefix Mac (abbreviated to Mc) and O. These prefixes started to disappear in the early 17th century<\/a>, as British rule extended across Ireland and English became the language of administration. If you are searching for ancestors named O\u2019Connor, O\u2019Reilly and O\u2019Sullivan, you will most likely find them in 19th century Irish records as Connor, Reilly\/Riley and Sullivan. The O was generally reintroduced after emigration or following the Irish language revival of the 1890s. This practice was less common for \u2018Mac\u2019 surnames. In the early 20th century some families reverted to the original Irish spelling.<\/p>\n Not all Irish surnames were of Gaelic origin. Surnames such as Fitzgerald, Power and Cruise, among others, are Norman; Power comes from de Paor and Fitz from the French fils, a similar meaning as Mac. Other early Irish names, such as Harold and Loughlin, were Norse in origin.<\/p>\n Names arrived in Ireland from England, Scotland<\/a> and Wales<\/a>, but also via various other strands of European immigration, such as the Huguenots<\/a>, Palatines (18th century refugees from Germany) and Jews. The south-east, via the port of Cork, was populated with European craftsmen who bestowed their names on their Irish descendants.<\/p>\n A helpful guide to Irish surnames can be found at John Grenham\u2019s site Irish Ancestors<\/a>. Using Griffith\u2019s Valuation<\/a>, the land survey of mid-19th century Ireland, Grenham has mapped each surname, illustrating where particular names are concentrated. Some common Irish surnames were established independently in different parts of the country. Grenham also provides a brief history of the surname, largely extracted from MacLysaght\u2019s publications, as well as variant spellings. This kind of information is a vital tool for any family historian researching their Irish roots.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/26\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-481344132-a8745d8.jpg?quality=90&resize=275%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/26\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-51241520-b1170b1.jpg?quality=90&resize=563%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>