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] BALCH WelshFrom the Welsh adjective balch, which has a range of meanings—"fine", "splendid", "proud", "arrogant", "glad"—but the predominant meaning is "proud" and from this the family name probably derives.
BARNEWALL Anglo-Norman, IrishA locational surname given to those who lived by a stream in either Cambridgeshire, which derives its name from the Olde English
beorna meaning "warrior" and
wella meaning "stream", or from one in Northamptonshire, which got its name from the Olde English
byrge meaning "burial mound" and
well, which also means "stream." a burial mound and 'well(a)'...
[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’.
BLYTHIN WelshRecorded as Blethin, Bleythin, Bleything, Blythin, and others, this is a surname which has Welsh royal connections. It derives from the Ancient British personal name "Bleddyn," translating as the son of Little Wolf...
[more] BOLITHO CornishHabitational name for someone originally from the locality of Bolitho in western Cornwall, derived from Old Cornish
bod or
bos meaning "dwelling" combined with an unknown personal name.
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".
BONNAR Irish, GaelicTranslation of the Gaelic "O'Cnaimhsighe", descendant of Cnaimhseach, a byname meaning "Midwife
BOSINNEY CornishDenotes the original bearer came from Bossiney, Cornwall. Bossiney comes from Cornish
Bod and
Cini, meaning "Cini's dwelling," with Cini being a Cornish name of unknown meaning....
[more] 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.
CAGNEY IrishAnglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Caingnigh meaning "descendant of Caingneach", a given name meaning "pleader, advocate". A famous bearer was American actor and dancer James Cagney (1899-1986).
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.
CARBREY IrishAnglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cairbre and
Mac Cairbre meaning "descendant of
CAIRBRE", a given name meaning "charioteer".
CARLAN IrishAnglicized form of Irish
O'Carlain or
O'Caireallain, from the Irish
carla meaning a "wool-comb" and
an meaning "one who" which roughly translates as "one who combs wool"...
[more] CARLYON CornishCornish: habitational name from any of three places in Cornwall called Carlyon, in St. Minver and Kea parishes. The first element is Celtic ker ‘fort’; the second could represent the plural of Cornish legh ‘slab’.
CARNEY IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Catharnaigh "descendant of Catharnach", a byname meaning "warlike".
CARREY IrishVariant spelling of
CAREY. A famous bearer is Canadian-American actor and comedian Jim Carrey (1962-).
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.
CHEGWIN CornishMeans "person who lives in or by a white house" (from Cornish
chy "house" +
gwyn "white").
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.
CLAINE Scottish, IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Gille Eathain, a patronymic name meaning "son of the servant of Saint John."
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] COMMONS BretonIt's generally believed this name comes from a Breton personal name, derived from element "cam," meaning "bent," or "crooked;" or from the herb "cummin" (cumin). Or from the place name Comines, in Flanders, Northern France....
[more] 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 or a Manx contraction of Mac Oran from Mac Odhrain.
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] COTTER IrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Oitir "son of
Oitir", a personal name borrowed from Old Norse
Óttarr, composed of the elements
ótti "fear, dread" and
herr "army".
COULLSON Scottish Gaelic (Anglicized, Rare), EnglishAll origins of the name are patronymic. Meanings include an Anglicized version of the Gaelic
MACCUMHAILL, meaning "son of Cumhall", which means "champion" and "stranger and an Anglicized patronymic of the Gaelic
MacDhubhghaill, meaning "son of Dubhgall." The personal name comes from the Gaelic words
dubh, meaning "black" and
gall, meaning "stranger."...
[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] CUSACK IrishAn Irish family name of Norman origin, originally from
Cussac in Guienne (Aquitaine), France. The surname died out in England, but is common in Ireland, where it was imported at the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century.
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".
DANVERS Irish, EnglishFor someone from Anvers, which is the French name of a port called Antwerp, located in what is now Belgium.
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.
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.
DICKEY IrishNorthern Irish: from a pet form of the personal name Dick 1.
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).
DOWELL English, Scottish, IrishDerived from the Gaelic name
Dubhgall, composed of the elements
dubh meaning "black" and
gall, "stranger". This was used as a byname for Scandinavians, in particular to distinguish the dark-haired Danes from fair-haired Norwegians.
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.