Celtic Submitted Surnames
These
names are used by Celtic peoples.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ADAIRCelticMostly Scottish surname meaning "at the oak ford".
ARGYLEScottish, Scottish GaelicFrom the regional name Argyll, a county of southwestern Scotland, named in Gaelic as Earre Ghàidheal ‘coast of the Gaels’. Argyll was the earliest part of Scotland to be settled by Gaelic speakers from Ireland from the 6th century onwards...
[more] ARGYLLScottish, Scottish GaelicFrom the regional name Argyll, a county of southwestern Scotland, named in Gaelic as
Earre Ghàidheal ‘coast of the Gaels’. Argyll was the earliest part of Scotland to be settled by Gaelic speakers from Ireland from the 6th century onwards...
[more] BAINEBRIDGEEnglish, IrishBridge over the Bain, An English town named for its place on the river Bain, now used as a surname. Lives near the bridge over the white water...
[more] BARRINGTONEnglish, IrishEnglish: habitational name from any of several places called Barrington. The one in Gloucestershire is named with the Old English personal name
Beorn + -ing- denoting association + tun ‘settlement’...
[more] BIDDLEEnglish, IrishVariant of English
BEADLE or German
BITTEL. The name is now popular in the north east region of America, where it was brought by English and Irish immigrants.
BLANEYIrishTopographic name from Welsh
blaenau, plural of
blaen "point, tip, end", i.e. uplands, or remote region, or upper reaches of a river.
BLINWelshThe same as Blaen, a point, the inland extremity of a valley. Blin also signifies weary, troublesome.
BLOODWelshAnglicized form of Welsh ap Llwyd ‘son of Llwyd’.
BOLLARDEnglish, IrishAccording to MacLysaght, this surname of Dutch origin which was taken to Ireland early in the 18th century.
BOLLORÉBretonBolloré derives from bod which means bush and lore which means laurel in Breton
BONARIrishA "translation" of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cnáimhsighe "descendant of
Cnáimhseach", a nickname meaning literally "midwife" and ostensibly a derivative of Gaelic
cnámh "bone".
BOWEMedieval English, English, Irish (Anglicized)There are three possible sources of this surname, the first being that it is a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of bows, a vital trade in medieval times before the invention of gunpowder, and a derivative of the Old English pre 7th Century 'boga', bow, from 'bugan' to bend...
[more] BOWIEScottish GaelicScots Gaelic
Bhuidhe or
Buidhe meaning "golden yellow". Name was originally
Mac Gille Bhuid, meaning "son of the yellow-haired lad". It was shortened to
MacilBuie and
MacilBowie in the 1600's, and further shortened in the 1700's to
Buie and anglicised to Bowie by English speaking census takers and record keepers on the Scottish mainland.
BRACKENIrishFrom Irish Ó Breacáin meaning "descendant of Breacán", a personal name from a diminutive of breac 'speckled', 'spotted', which was borne by a 6th-century saint who lived at Ballyconnel, County Cavan, and was famous as a healer; St...
[more] BRAGGEnglish, WelshFrom a nickname for a cheerful or lively person, derived from Middle English
bragge meaning "lively, cheerful, active", also "brave, proud, arrogant".
BRANNOCKIrishOriginally taken from the Welsh place name
Brecknock. Medieval settlers brought this name to Ireland.
BRINGHENTTIBretonNot sure about the origin, but after researches, roughly could say it's from "Breton" origins. Mostly used in north/northwest of Italy (Genova, Mantova and surroundings.
BRODERICKIrish, Welsh, EnglishSurname which comes from two distinct sources. As a Welsh surname it is derived from
ap Rhydderch meaning "son of
Rhydderch". As an Irish surname it is an Anglicized form of
Ó Bruadair meaning "descendent of Bruadar"...
[more] BROPHYIrish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bróithe ‘descendant of Bróth’, a personal name or byname of unknown origin. Also Anglicized as Broy.
BWYEWelsh (Rare)many of this name moved from south wales to india to work for the east india company around 1900's then came back to wales.
BYNESIrishThis is the surname of American actress Amanda Bynes (born April 3, 1986).
CADDICKWelshFrom the Welsh male personal name
Cadog, a pet-form of
Cadfael (a derivative of Welsh
cad "battle").
CADOGANWelshFrom the Welsh male personal name
Cadwgan, literally probably "battle-scowler". Cadogan Estate is an area of Chelsea and Belgravia, including Cadogan Square, Sloane Street and Sloane Square, owned by the earls of Cadogan, descended from Charles Sloane Cadogan (1728-1807), 1st Earl Cadogan.
CALEWelshPossibly derived from the River Cale. A famous barer of this name is Welsh musician John Cale (1942- ).
CALVEYIrishVariation of McKelvey. Meaning rich in possessions or Irish from the French word bald
CANAVANIrish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceanndubháin "descendant of
Ceanndubhán", a byname meaning "little black-headed one", from
ceann "head" combined with
dubh "black" and the diminutive suffix
-án.
CARLINIrish (Anglicized), Scottish, French, Swedish, Italian, Jewish (Anglicized), GermanIrish (now also common in Scotland) anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Cairealláin, an Ulster family name, also sometimes Anglicized as
Carlton, meaning ‘descendant of Caireallán’, a diminutive of the personal name
Caireall...
[more] CARNEYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Catharnaigh "descendant of Catharnach", a byname meaning "warlike".
CARVILLEFrench, IrishAs a French location name it comes from a settlement in Normandy. As an Irish name it derives from a word for "warrior".
CASEMENTManxFrom Manx Gaelic
Mac Asmuint "son of
Ásmundr", an Old Norse male personal name meaning literally "god-protection". The surname was borne by Sir Roger Casement (1864-1916), an Irish-born British consular official and rebel.
CASSEYScottish, IrishThis surname originated around ancient Scotland and Ireland. In its Gaelic form it is called, 'O Cathasaigh', which means 'the watchful one'....
[more] CAULFIELDIrishComes from the Irish Gaelic
Mac Cathmhaoil, which was Anglicized to
McCawell and then morphed into Caulfield.
Mac Cathmhaoil comes from a word meaning "chieftan".
CHALLONERFrench, WelshDerived from a town in France of the same name. This family derive their origin from Macloy Crum, of the line of chiefs in Wales, who resided several years in Challoner.
CINNAMONDScottish, Irish, EnglishPossibly originates from Scottish place name Kininmonth. Probably introduced to Northern Ireland by Scottish settlers where it remains in Ulster. Another origin is the French place name Saint Amand originated from French Huguenots settling in Ireland.
CLWYDWelshThis indicates familial origin near the River Clwyd.
COAKLEYIrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Mac Caochlaoich "son of
Caochlaoch", a personal name meaning literally "blind warrior".
COCHRANEScottish, Scottish Gaelic, IrishDerived from the 'Lowlands of Cochrane' near Paisley, in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Origin is uncertain, the theory it may have derived from the Welsh
coch meaning "red" is dismissed because of the historical spelling of the name
Coueran....
[more] CONDONIrish (Anglicized, Modern)Anglicized form of Gaelic
Condún, itself a Gaelicized form of the Anglo-Norman habitational name
de Caunteton. This seems to have been imported from Wales, but probably derives ultimately from Caunton in Nottinghamshire, which is named with the Old English personal name
Caluno{dh} (composed of the elements calu "bald" + no{dh} "daring") + Old English tun "enclosure", "settlement".
CONEIrishReduced form of McCone. Americanized spelling of North German Kohn or Köhn, or Kuhn.
CONKLINIrish, DutchOrigin unidentified. Most likely of Dutch origin (the name is found in the 18th century in the Hudson Valley), or possibly a variant of Irish
Coughlin.
CONLONIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Ó Conalláin or Ó Caoindealbháin.
CONRANIrishThe surname Conran is derived from 'O Conarain', and Conran is a more anglicized version....
[more] CONWAYWelsh, Scottish, IrishAs a Welsh surname, it comes from the name of a fortified town on the coast of North Wales (Conwy formerly Conway), taken from the name of the river on which it stands. The river name
Conwy may mean "holy water" in Welsh....
[more] COOGANIrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name "MacCogadhain"; composed of the Gaelic prefix "mac," which means "son of," and the Gaelic personal name "Cuchogaidh", which means "Hound of War". The name is also found in Ireland as Cogan, Coggan, Coggen, Cogin, Coggon, Coogan and Goggin(s).
COOLEYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Chúille ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Mochúille’, a rare Clare name.
CORBETTEnglish, Scottish, WelshNickname from Norman French
corbet meaning 'little crow, raven'. This surname is thought to have originated in Shropshire. The surname was taken by bearers to Scotland in the 12th Century, and to Northern Ireland in the 17th Century....
[more] CORKERYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Corcra "descendant of
Corcra", a personal name derived from
corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin
purpur).
CORLETTManxFrom Manx Gaelic
Mac Thorliot "son of
Thorliot", a male personal name derived from Old Norse
Thórrljótr, literally "Thor-bright".
CORNISHCelticOne who came from Cornwall, a county in the South West of England.
CORNWALLCelticOne who came from Cornwall, a county in the South West of England.
COSTELLOIrish, ItalianCostello (Irish: Mac Coisdealbha) is a common Irish surname originating in County Mayo. The surname derives from Jocelyn de Angulo (fl.1172), an Anglo-Norman knight....
[more] CRAVENIrish, EnglishIrish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (County Galway) or Mac Crabháin (Louth, Monaghan) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’...
[more] CROWLEYIrish (Anglicized), EnglishIrish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cruadhlaoich ‘descendant of Cruadhlaoch’, a personal name composed of the elements cruadh ‘hardy’ + laoch ‘hero’. ...
[more] CULBERTAnglo-Saxon, Irish, English, ScottishMeaning and origin are uncertain. Edward MacLysaght (The Surnames of Ireland, 1999, 6th Ed., Irish Academic Press, Dublin, Ireland and Portland, Oregon, USA) states that this surname is of Huguenot (French Protestant) origin, and found mainly in Ireland's northern province of Ulster...
[more] CUNNIFFIrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Mac Conduibh "son of
Condubh", a personal name meaning literally "black dog".
CUNNINGHAMIrishSurname adopted from Scottish by bearers of Gaelic Ó Cuinneagáin "descendant of
Cuinneagán", a personal name from a double diminutive of the Old Irish personal name
Conn meaning "leader, chief".
CURRENTIrishThe surname of Current, is of Irish/Scottish with several different families, and meanings of this name. There are many spelling variations of this name.
CURRIEScottish, IrishIrish: Habitational name from Currie in Midlothian, first recorded in this form in 1230. It is derived from Gaelic
curraigh, dative case of
currach ‘wet plain’, ‘marsh’. It is also a habitational name from Corrie in Dumfriesshire (see
Corrie)....
[more] DADEIrishAnglicized form of
MacDaibheid, meaning "son of David".
DAILEYIrishAnglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of DÁLACH".
DAILYIrishAnglicized form of Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendent of DÁLACH". The name has strong roots in the county Cork.
DALLIrishDerived from Old Irish
dall, a byname meaning "blind".
DARRAGHIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Dhubhdarach, a personal name meaning "black one of the oak tree".
DAVINEIrish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Irish
Ó Duibhín meaning "descendant of Duibhín" (Duibhín meaning "little black one") or
Ó Daimhín meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (Daimhín: "fawn").
DAWIrish (Anglicized)Irish anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Deaghaidh, ‘descendant of
Deaghadh’, a personal name of uncertain origin. It may be composed of the elements
deagh- ‘good’ +
ádh ‘luck’, ‘fate’; some such association seems to lie behind its Anglicization as Goodwin.
DAYSWelshPatronymic from the personal name Dai, a pet form of Dafydd, with the redundant addition of the English patronymic suffix -s.
DEADYIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Ó Déadaigh ‘descendant of Déadach’, a personal name apparently meaning ‘toothy’.
DEANEIrishSurname found in Ireland, it is the name of one of the Tribes of Galway.
DEESIrishThe surname Dees refers to the grandson of Deaghadh (good luck); dweller near the Dee River; one with a dark or swarthy complexion. Also considered of Welsh origin.
DERRYIrish, EnglishEnglish variant of
Deary, or alternatively a nickname for a merchant or tradesman, from Anglo-French
darree ‘pennyworth’, from Old French
denree. ...
[more] DIAMONDIrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier
Díomá or
Déamán, a diminutive of
Díoma, itself a pet form of
DIARMAID.
DISKINIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Díscín "descendant of
Díscín", which may be derived from
díosc "barren". The place name Ballyeeskeen, now Ballydiscin, in County Sligo, is derived from the surname.
DOANEIrishIrish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Dubháin ‘descendant of
Dubhán’, meaning ‘the little black one’, a common name in the 16th century in southern Ireland, or
Ó Damháin ‘descendant of
Damhán’ meaning ‘fawn’, ‘little stag’, a rare Ulster name...
[more] DOLEEnglish, Irish (Anglicized)English: from Middle English dole ‘portion of land’ (Old English dal ‘share’, ‘portion’). The term could denote land within the common field, a boundary mark, or a unit of area; so the name may be of topographic origin or a status name...
[more] DONNELLANIrishFrom the Gaelic Domhnallain, a diminutive of Donnell/Domhnall meaning "world mighty" (Irish form of the Scottish Donald).
DOWNEYIrishAnglicization of Irish name Dounaigh, which is, in turn, an Gaelicization of a Norman name. Dates from the 11th c.
DRURYEnglish, French, IrishOriginally a Norman French nickname, derived from
druerie "love, friendship" (itself a derivative of
dru "lover, favourite, friend" - originally an adjective, apparently from a Gaulish word meaning "strong, vigourous, lively", but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element
trut,
drut "dear, beloved")....
[more] DUCKEnglish, IrishEnglish from Middle English
doke, hence a nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a duck or a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept ducks or for a wild fowler. ...
[more] DWIGGINSIrishAnglicized form (with English genitive -s) of Gaelic Ó Dubhagáin (see Dugan) or, more likely, of Ó Duibhginn (see Deegan).Possibly a variant (by misdivision) of English
Wiggins.
DYEEnglish, WelshEnglish: from a pet form of the personal name
Dennis. In Britain the surname is most common in Norfolk, but frequent also in Yorkshire. Welsh is also suggested, but 1881 and UK both show this as an East Anglian name - very few in Wales.
EDEVANEWelsh, CornishA rare Welsh surname, believed to be of Cornish origin. This surname is made up of two elements. ‘Ed’ is not a shortened form of Edward, but derives from the ancient (Old English?) ‘ead’ meaning ‘prosperity’ and/or ‘happiness’...
[more] ENRIGHTIrish (Anglicized)From Irish Gaelic
Indreachtach, literally "attacker". The surname was borne by British poet D.J. Enright (1920-2002).
ESAUWelsh, GermanFrom the Biblical personal name Esau, meaning ‘hairy’ in Hebrew (Genesis 25:25).
ESTESWelsh, Spanish, Englisha popular surname derived from the House of Este. It is also said to derive from Old English and have the meaning "of the East." As a surname, it has been traced to southern England in the region of Kent, as early as the mid-16th century.
FAGANIrishFrom a surname, "The name Fagan in Ireland is usually of Norman origin, especially in Counties Dublin and Meath. In the County Louth area the name is derived from the native Gaelic O'Faodhagain Sept of which there are a number of variants including Feighan, Fegan and Feehan." (from irishsurnames.com)
FAHEYIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Fathaidh or
Ó Fathaigh ‘descendant of
Fathadh’, a personal name derived from
fothadh ‘base’, ‘foundation’. This name is sometimes Anglicized as
Green(e as a result of erroneous association with
faithche ‘lawn’.
FAIREnglish, IrishEnglish: nickname meaning ‘handsome’, ‘beautiful’, ‘fair’, from Middle English
fair,
fayr, Old English
fæger. The word was also occasionally used as a personal name in Middle English, applied to both men and women....
[more] FALLONIrishAnglicized form of the surname
Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of
Fallamhan", the name being a byname meaning "leader" (derived from
follamhnas meaning "supremacy").
FANJOYCelticSuch As Dales, Danes Of Ireland, From A House And Line Of What Would Be Called, Mythical....
[more] FANNINGIrishThe roots of the name are unclear. It seems the name is Native Irish Gaelic. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic name Ó Fionnáin which means "fair".
FARADAYIrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Ó Fearadaigh "descendant of
Fearadach", a personal name probably based on
fear "man", perhaps meaning literally "man of the wood". A famous bearer was British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867).
FARLEYIrishanglicized form of the Gaelic surname O'Faircheallaigh.
FARMERIrishAnglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic
Mac an Scolóige "son of the husbandman", a rare surname of northern and western Ireland.
FARNANIrish (Anglicized)Irish shortened Anglicization of Gaelic
Ó Farannáin ‘descendant of
Forannán’, a personal name possibly based on
forrán ‘attack’. The family bearing this name was connected with the church of Ardstraw in Ulster.
FARRAGUTBreton, French, Catalan, AmericanA Breton-French surname of unknown origin. A notable bearer was American naval flag officer David Farragut (1801-1870), who is known for serving during the American Civil War. His father was of Catalan ancestry...
[more] FENNESSEYIrishAn ancient Irish name. Presumed to come from the name Fionnghusa, or sometimes O'Fionnghusa....
[more] FERREIRECelticIt means smith. In the Gaelic languaje is gofaint or ngfaint.
FIELDEnglish, Scottish, Irish, Jewish (Anglicized)English: topographic name for someone who lived on land which had been cleared of forest, but not brought into cultivation, from Old English
feld ‘pasture’, ‘open country’, as opposed on the one hand to
æcer ‘cultivated soil’, ‘enclosed land’ (see
Acker) and on the other to
weald ‘wooded land’, ‘forest’ (see
Wald)...
[more] FINNIGANIrishThis interesting surname is of Irish origin, and is an Anglicization of the Gaelic
O' Fionnagain, meaning the descendant(s) of Fionnagan, an Old Irish personal name derived from the word "fionn", white, fairheaded.
FIRTHEnglish, Scottish, WelshEnglish and Scottish: topographic name from Old English
(ge)fyrhþe ‘woodland’ or ‘scrubland on the edge of a forest’....
[more] FITZWILLIAMIrishFitz appears to be a Norman term derived from the French word fils and the Latin word filius, each of which means son. The name is most common in England and Ireland, each of which was conquered by Normans between 1066-1167.
FLANNERYIrishAppears originally in Irish Gaelic as
O Flannabhra derived from
flann, meaning "red", and
abhra, meaning "eyebrow". First appeared in County Tipperary, Ireland.
FLOODIrishThere are some English Flood's, but the name mainly derives from the Irish O'Taicligh or Mac an Tuile and was Anglicized to Flood, Floyd, and Tully when the Gaelic language was outlawed in Ireland by the English.
FOGARTYIrish (Anglicized)Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fógartaigh ‘son of Fógartach’, a personal name from fógartha meaning "proclaimed", "banished", "outlawed". It is sometimes Anglicized as
Howard.
FOLEYIrishAs a northern Irish surname it is derived from the Gaelic personal name
Searrach, which was based on
searrach "foal, colt" and anglicized as
Foley because of its phonetic similarity to English
foal.
FOODYIrishAnglicized version of ó Fuada, or 'descendent of Fuada'. It comes from the personal name 'fuad' or 'swift' but also 'rush' and 'speed'.
FORSYTHEScottish, IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic personal name
Fearsithe, composed of the elements
fear ‘man’ +
sith ‘peace’. Some early forms with prepositions, as for example William de
Fersith (Edinburgh 1365), seem to point to an alternative origin as a habitational name, but no place name of suitable form is known...
[more] FOYIrish (Anglicized)A different form of
Fahy (from Irish Gaelic
Ó Fathaigh "descendant of
Fathach", a personal name probably based on Gaelic
fothadh "foundation").
FROSTWelshOriginally spelled Ffrost (the double ff is a Welsh letter). The Welsh word ffrost refered to someone who is excessively bold or a brag, especially with regard to warrior feats. Edmund Ffrost signed his name this way on the ship's register of the boat which brought him to the Massachussett's Bay Colony in 1631...
[more] FURLONGEnglish, IrishApparently a topographic name from Middle English furlong ‘length of a field’ (from Old English furh meaning "furro" + lang meaning "long".
GADDWelshMeans "battlefield" in Welsh. Comes from the Welsh word
gad which means battlefield.
GAINESEnglish, Norman, WelshEnglish (of Norman origin): nickname for a crafty or ingenious person, from a reduced form of Old French
engaine ‘ingenuity’, ‘trickery’ (Latin
ingenium ‘native wit’). The word was also used in a concrete sense of a stratagem or device, particularly a trap....
[more] GALBRAITHScottish, Scottish GaelicEthnic name for someone descended from a tribe of Britons living in Scotland, from Gaelic
gall ‘stranger’ +
Breathnach ‘Briton’ (i.e. ‘British foreigner’). These were either survivors of the British peoples who lived in Scotland before the Gaelic invasions from Ireland in the 5th century (in particular the Welsh-speaking Strathclyde Britons, who survived as a distinctive ethnic group until about the 14th century), or others who had perhaps migrated northwestwards at the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasions.
GALLScottish, Irish, EnglishNickname, of Celtic origin, meaning "foreigner" or "stranger". In the Scottish Highlands the Gaelic term
gall was applied to people from the English-speaking lowlands and to Scandinavians; in Ireland the same term was applied to settlers who arrived from Wales and England in the wake of the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century...
[more] GAMONIrishThis name is a last name for the Irish it means Liam Gamon.
GANNONIrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Mag Fhionnáin, a patronymic from the personal name
Fionnán. This name, from a diminutive of
fionn ‘white’, ‘fair’, was borne by several early Irish saints.
GARRIGHANIrishto denote 'son of Geargain' a name which originally in derived from 'gearg' which meant grouse but which was often used figuratively for warrior
GEDDESScottish, IrishThere is a place of this name in Nairn, but the name is more likely to be a patronymic from Geddie.
GEESONIrishThis unusual name is the patronymic form of the surname
Gee, and means "son of Gee", from the male given name which was a short form of male personal names such as "
Geoffrey", "
George" and "
Gerard"...
[more] GILLESPIEScottish, IrishGillespie can be of Scottish and Irish origin. The literal meaning is "servant of bishop", but it is a forename rather than a status name. The Irish Gillespies, originally MacGiollaEaspuig, are said to to be called after one Easpog Eoghan, or Bishop Owen, of Ardstraw, County Tyrone...
[more]