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.
ADAIR CelticMostly Scottish surname meaning "at the oak ford".
ARGYLE Scottish, 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] ARGYLL Scottish, 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] BAINEBRIDGE English, 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] BARRINGTON English, 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] BIDDLE English, 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.
BLACKSMITH English, Welsh, ScottishThis last name is an occupation last name. A "blacksmith" means a person who makes and repairs things in iron by hand.
BLANEY IrishTopographic name from Welsh
blaenau, plural of
blaen "point, tip, end", i.e. uplands, or remote region, or upper reaches of a river.
BLIN WelshThe same as Blaen, a point, the inland extremity of a valley. Blin also signifies weary, troublesome.
BLOOD WelshAnglicized form of Welsh ap Llwyd ‘son of Llwyd’.
BOLLARD English, IrishAccording to MacLysaght, this surname of Dutch origin which was taken to Ireland early in the 18th century.
BOLLORÉ BretonBolloré derives from bod which means bush and lore which means laurel in Breton
BONAR IrishA "translation" of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cnáimhsighe "descendant of
Cnáimhseach", a nickname meaning literally "midwife" and ostensibly a derivative of Gaelic
cnámh "bone".
BOWE Medieval 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] BOWIE Scottish 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.
BRACKEN IrishFrom 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] BRAGG English, WelshFrom a nickname for a cheerful or lively person, derived from Middle English
bragge meaning "lively, cheerful, active", also "brave, proud, arrogant".
BRANNOCK IrishOriginally taken from the Welsh place name
Brecknock. Medieval settlers brought this name to Ireland.
BRODERICK Irish, 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] BROPHY Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bróithe ‘descendant of Bróth’, a personal name or byname of unknown origin. Also Anglicized as Broy.
BURNEY English, IrishForm of the French place name of 'Bernay' or adapted from the personal name
Bjorn, ultimately meaning "bear".
BWYE Welsh (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.
BYNES IrishThis is the surname of American actress Amanda Bynes (born April 3, 1986).
CADDICK WelshFrom the Welsh male personal name
Cadog, a pet-form of
Cadfael (a derivative of Welsh
cad "battle").
CADOGAN WelshFrom 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.
CALE WelshPossibly derived from the River Cale. A famous barer of this name is Welsh musician John Cale (1942- ).
CALLIGAN Irish (Rare)Before Irish names were translated into English, Calligan had a Gaelic form of O Ceallachain, possibly from "ceallach", which means "strife"....
[more] CALVEY IrishVariation of McKelvey. Meaning rich in possessions or Irish from the French word bald
CANAVAN Irish (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.
CARNEY IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Catharnaigh "descendant of Catharnach", a byname meaning "warlike".
CARVILLE French, IrishAs a French location name it comes from a settlement in Normandy. As an Irish name it derives from a word for "warrior".
CASEMENT ManxAnglicized and reduced form of Manx Gaelic
Mac Asmuint meaning "son of
Ásmundr". A notable bearer was Sir Roger Casement (1864-1916), an Irish-born British consular official and rebel.
CASSEY Scottish, IrishThis surname originated around ancient Scotland and Ireland. In its Gaelic form it is called, 'O Cathasaigh', which means 'the watchful one'....
[more] CAULFIELD IrishComes from the Irish Gaelic
Mac Cathmhaoil, which was Anglicized to
McCawell and then morphed into Caulfield.
Mac Cathmhaoil comes from a word meaning "chieftan".
CHALLONER French, 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.
CINNAMOND Scottish, 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.
CLOONEY English, IrishFrom Gaelic
Ó Cluanaigh meaning "descendant of
Cluanach". Cluanach was a given name derived from Irish
clauna "deceitful, flattering, rogue".
CLWYD WelshThis indicates familial origin near the River Clwyd.
COACH IrishOrigin uncertain. Most probably a reduced form of Irish McCoach, which is of uncertain derivation, perhaps a variant of
McCaig.
COAKLEY IrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Mac Caochlaoich "son of
Caochlaoch", a personal name meaning literally "blind warrior".
COCHRANE Scottish, 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] CONDON Irish (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".
CONE IrishReduced form of McCone. Americanized spelling of North German Kohn or Köhn, or Kuhn.
CONKLIN Irish, 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.
CONLON IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Ó Conalláin or Ó Caoindealbháin.
CONRAN IrishThe surname Conran is derived from 'O Conarain', and Conran is a more anglicized version....
[more] CONWAY Welsh, 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] COOGAN IrishAnglicized 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).
COOLEY IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Chúille ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Mochúille’, a rare Clare name.
CORBETT English, 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] CORKERY Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Corcra "descendant of
Corcra", a personal name derived from
corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin
purpur).
CORLETT ManxFrom Manx Gaelic
Mac Thorliot "son of
Thorliot", a male personal name derived from Old Norse
Thórrljótr, literally "Thor-bright".
CORNISH CelticOne who came from Cornwall, a county in the South West of England.
CORNWALL CelticOne who came from Cornwall, a county in the South West of England.
CORRIN Manx, ScottishFirst documented in 1290, sources suggest prototypes to be of Norse and/or Irish origins.
COSTELLO Irish, 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] COURT English, French, IrishA topographic name from Middle English, Old French
court(e) and
curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court....
[more] CRANLEY IrishThe surname Cranley was first found in Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh), where they held a family seat but were also to be found in County Offaly and Galway. The sept is styled the Princes of Crich Cualgne and are descended from Cu-Ulladh, a Prince in 576.
CRAVEN Irish, EnglishIrish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (County Galway) or Mac Crabháin (Louth, Monaghan) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’...
[more] CROWLEY Irish (Anglicized), EnglishIrish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cruadhlaoich ‘descendant of Cruadhlaoch’, a personal name composed of the elements cruadh ‘hardy’ + laoch ‘hero’. ...
[more] CULBERT Anglo-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] CUNNIFF IrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Mac Conduibh "son of
Condubh", a personal name meaning literally "black dog".
CUNNINGHAM IrishSurname 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".
CURRENT IrishThe surname of Current, is of Irish/Scottish with several different families, and meanings of this name. There are many spelling variations of this name.
CURRIE Scottish, 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] DADE IrishAnglicized form of
MacDaibheid, meaning "son of David".
DAILEY IrishAnglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of DÁLACH".
DAILY IrishAnglicized form of Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendent of DÁLACH". The name has strong roots in the county Cork.
DALL IrishDerived from Old Irish
dall, a byname meaning "blind".
DARRAGH IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Dhubhdarach, a personal name meaning "black one of the oak tree".
DAVEY English, WelshDerived from the given name
David. Alternately, it may be a variant spelling of Welsh
Davies or
Davis, which could be patronymic forms of
David, or corrupted forms of
Dyfed, an older Welsh surname and the name of a county in Wales.
DAVINE Irish (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").
DAW Irish (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.
DAYS WelshPatronymic from the personal name Dai, a pet form of Dafydd, with the redundant addition of the English patronymic suffix -s.
DEADY IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Ó Déadaigh ‘descendant of Déadach’, a personal name apparently meaning ‘toothy’.
DEANE IrishSurname found in Ireland, it is the name of one of the Tribes of Galway.
DEES IrishThe 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.
DEMPSTER Manx, English, ScottishThe name for a judge or arbiter of minor disputes, from Old English dem(e)stre, a derivative of the verb demian ‘to judge or pronounce judgement’. Although this was originally a feminine form of the masculine demere, by the Middle English period the suffix -stre had lost its feminine force, and the term was used of both sexes...
[more] DENNEHY IrishMeans Ireland and someone who likes Chinese food
DERRY Irish, EnglishEnglish variant of
Deary, or alternatively a nickname for a merchant or tradesman, from Anglo-French
darree ‘pennyworth’, from Old French
denree. ...
[more] DIAMOND IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier
Díomá or
Déamán, a diminutive of
Díoma, itself a pet form of
DIARMAID.
DILLON IrishDillon is a surname of Irish origin but with Breton-Norman roots. It is first recorded in Ireland with the arrival of Sir Henry de Leon (c.1176 – 1244), of a cadet branch of Viscounty of Léon, Brittany...
[more] DINEEN Irish (Anglicized)Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Duinnín which meant "descendant of Duinnín". The byname
Duinnín was derived from a diminutive of Gaelic
donn meaning "brown" (i.e. "brown-haired man") or "chieftain".
DISKIN Irish (Anglicized)Reduced 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.
DOANE IrishIrish: 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] DOLE English, 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] DONEGAN IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó Donnagáin. Diminutive of "donn" which means "brown," referring to hair color.
DONNELLAN IrishFrom the Gaelic Domhnallain, a diminutive of Donnell/Domhnall meaning "world mighty" (Irish form of the Scottish Donald).
DOWNEY IrishAnglicization of Irish name Dounaigh, which is, in turn, an Gaelicization of a Norman name. Dates from the 11th c.
DRURY English, 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] DUCK English, 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] DUNNE Irish, English, ScottishThis surname means dark and was likely given to those with a dark complexion or with dark hair.
DWIGGINS IrishAnglicized 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.
DYE English, 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.
EDEVANE Welsh, 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] ENRIGHT Irish (Anglicized)From Irish Gaelic
Indreachtach, literally "attacker". The surname was borne by British poet D.J. Enright (1920-2002).
ESAU Welsh, GermanFrom the Biblical personal name Esau, meaning ‘hairy’ in Hebrew (Genesis 25:25).
ESTES Welsh, 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.
FAGAN IrishFrom 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)
FAHEY IrishReduced 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’.
FAIR English, 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] FALLON IrishAnglicized form of the surname
Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of
Fallamhan", the name being a byname meaning "leader" (derived from
follamhnas meaning "supremacy").
FANJOY CelticSuch As Dales, Danes Of Ireland, From A House And Line Of What Would Be Called, Mythical....
[more] FANNING IrishThe 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".
FARADAY IrishFrom 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).
FARLEY Irishanglicized form of the Gaelic surname O'Faircheallaigh.
FARMER IrishAnglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic
Mac an Scolóige "son of the husbandman", a rare surname of northern and western Ireland.
FARNAN Irish (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.
FARRAGUT Breton, 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] FENNESSEY IrishAn ancient Irish name. Presumed to come from the name Fionnghusa, or sometimes O'Fionnghusa....
[more] FERREIRE CelticIt means smith. In the Gaelic languaje is gofaint or ngfaint.
FIELD English, 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] FINNIGAN IrishThis 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.
FIRTH English, Scottish, WelshEnglish and Scottish: topographic name from Old English
(ge)fyrhþe ‘woodland’ or ‘scrubland on the edge of a forest’....
[more] FITZWILLIAM IrishFitz 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.
FLANNERY IrishAppears originally in Irish Gaelic as
O Flannabhra derived from
flann, meaning "red", and
abhra, meaning "eyebrow". First appeared in County Tipperary, Ireland.