KirwanIrish From Gaelic Ó Ciardhubháin meaning "descendant of Ciardhubhán", a given name composed of the elements ciar "dark" and dubh "black" combined with a diminutive suffix.
KneenManx Manx cognate of the Gaelic surname Mac Niadháin, itself derived from the Gaelic personal name Nia meaning "champion." It may also be a corruption of the surname McNiven (Anglicized form of Mac Cnáimhín).
KnowlesIrish As an Irish surname it is an anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Tnúthghail meaning "descendant of Tnúthgal", a given name composed of the elements tnúth "desire, envy" and gal "valor".
KyneIrish From Gaelic Ó Cadháin meaning "descendant of Cadhán", a byname meaning "barnacle goose".
LaceManx Shortened form of Manx Mac Guilley Chass (Gaelic Mac Giolla Chais) meaning "son of the curly-haired youth", derived from macc "son", gilla "boy, youth; attendant, servant" and cas "curly, twisted".
LackeyIrish Lackey was originally a name for a horse servant.
LaffeyIrish Reduced anglicisation of Gaelic Ó Laithimh, itself derived from the earlier form Ó Flaithimh, ultimately from flaitheamh meaning "ruler". It could also be a variant of Leahy.
LaheyIrish Lahey and Leahy originate from two different Gaelic surnames. Lahey, Lahy, Lahiff, Lahiffe, Laffey, and Lahive all originate from the Gaelic surname O Laithimh, which itself is a variant of O Flaithimh... [more]
LahiffeIrish (Rare) From Irish Ó Laochdha meaning "descendant of the hero" or "descendant of the heroic", ultimately from laoch "warrior, hero".
LallyIrish A shortened form of Mullally, an anglicised form of Ó Maolalaidh. A famous bearer includes James Lally, an Irish landowner and politician from Tuam, County Galway.
LalorIrish Lalor is an Irish surname derived from the Irish Ó Leathlobhair, from leath- “leper; weak, ailing person”
LaveryIrish, Northern Irish From the Gaelic Ó Labhradha, "descendants of Labhradha" (speaker, spokesman, the father of Etru, chief of the Monagh of the Irish over-kingdom of Ulaid); the name of an ancient family originating from Magh Rath (present-day Moira, County Down, Northern Ireland)... [more]
LawlerIrish, Scottish This Irish surname is of Gaelic language origin. The surname derives from the original Gaelic 'O'Leathlobhair' meaning 'descendant of leathlobhair'. Leathlobhair derives from 'Leath' meaning 'Half' and 'Lobhar' meaning 'leper'.... [more]
Le BrasBreton Altered form of Breton Ar Brazh meaning "the great, the imposing" or "the big, the fat", ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brassos "great, violent".
LeckeyScottish, English, Irish Originally Scottish, but also found in England, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Possibly derives from the barony of Leckie (meaning "place of flagstones", from Gaelic leac, "flagstone") in Stirlingshire.
LeducFrench, Breton From the Old French title of rank duc "duke" (from Latin dux "leader" genitive ducis) with the French masculine definite article le used as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces or else as a metonymic occupational name for a servant employed in a ducal household.
LehaneIrish Lehane (Irish: Ó Liatháin) is an uncommon Irish surname, typically from County Cork. Ó Liatháin is more frequently anglicized as Lane or Lyons. The surname is also found in County Donegal where it was also anglicized from the Ulster branch of O'Liathain into Lehane, Lane, Lyons,and Lawn.
LehighGerman, Irish Derived from a Native American word "Lechauwekink", meaning "where there are forks in the stream". Variant of Lechau .
LemassFrench, Irish Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from Old French maistre meaning "master", ultimately from Latin magister (see Masterson). Another theory holds that it comes from Irish Gaelic Laighmheasa, a given name meaning "dispatch"... [more]
LivingstoneScottish, Irish, Jewish Scottish: Habitational name from a place in Lothian, originally named in Middle English as Levingston, from an owner called Levin (Lewin), who appears in charters of David I in the early 12th century.... [more]
LlewysWelsh Original Welsh form of "Lewis" used by the former Royal Family of Wales. Most people with the surname "Lewis" derive from the Royal Family. Very few people still have the surname "Llewys," but it is not unheard of.
LomasEnglish, Scottish, Scottish Gaelic Variant spelling of "Lomax", meaning a steam pool devoted from Lumhalghs, Lancs. Also variant spelling of "Lennox", meaning Elmwood in Gaelic.
LomasneyIrish From Gaelic Ó Lomasna meaning "descendant of Lomasna", a byname from lom "bare" and asna "rib".
LoteyIrish The surname Lotey has Irish and Scottish origins from Ó Labhradha, and German origins from the ancient Germanic name Chloderich, which is made up of hlut meaning "famous" and rik meaning "powerful, rich".
LoughreyIrish Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Luachra "descendant of Luachra", a personal name derived from luachair "light". The name is often translated, Rush from a Gaelic homonym, luachair meaning "rush".
MacConallScottish (Anglicized, Rare), Irish (Anglicized, Rare) Anglicized form of Scottish and Irish Gaelic Mac Conaill 'son of Conall', the personalized name composing of the elements con, which is an inflected form of cú 'wolf' + gal 'valor'. Giving the ultimate meaning due to variegated spellings of this specified name, is "Battle-Wolf of High Valor."
MacDowellScottish, Irish Variant of McDowell. A famous bearer is American actress Andie MacDowell (1958-). Another was the American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell (1860-1908).
MacduffScottish Gaelic From the ancient Scottish Gaelic Mac duib meaning "son of the black/dark man." This name may have originated as a ethnic term about the native Scots used by Viking conquestors during the later half of the First Millenium... [more]
MacFadyenScottish, Irish Variant of Mcfadden. Famous bearers include English actor Matthew Macfadyen (1974-) and Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen (1963-).
Mac GafraidhIrish The origin of the name is from the Gaelic "Mac Gafraidh" which translates as the "Son of Godfrey", and it is presumed that the first name holders were followers of the 6th century, Saint Godfrey.
Mac GaoithínScottish Gaelic Meaning ‘son of Gaoithín’, a personal name derived from the diminutive of gaoth ‘clever’, ‘wise’.
MacgintyIrish Patronymic surname from the original Irish Gaelic form 'mac an tsaoi' meaning "son of the scholar". Notable namesake is Irish rugby player AlanLeon "AJ" MacGinty.
Mac Giolla ChudaIrish Meaning ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Chuda’, a personal name of unexplained origin. This was the name of a 7th-century abbot-bishop of Rathin in County Westmeath.... [more]
Mac Giolla IasachtaIrish Means "son of the strange youth", from Irish Gaelic iasachta "loan" "foreign", hence denoting to a boy who transferred to another family for fosterage, a common custom in ancient Ireland.
Mac Giolla MhartainIrish This name denotes a devotee of St. Martin. This saint founded the first monastery in France c. 360 and was made Bishop of Tours in 372. He is the patron saint of publicans and inn-keepers and is also a patron saint of France.
MacgrathIrish First found in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.... [more]
MackinawIrish First found in County Monaghan located in the Northern part of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Ulster, at Truagh where they were known as the Lords of Truagh.... [more]
Mac LaoidhighIrish Irish Gaelic form of McAlea, which comes from the word laoidh, which means "a poem;" or from Mac Giolla Íosa, which means "son of the devotee of Jesus."
Mac UighilínIrish, Scottish Means "son of Hugelin". the surname was allegedly adopted by the de Mandevilles, a Cambro-Norman family that had conquered an area of north Antrim, a county in Northern Ireland... [more]
Mag AnnaidhIrish Meaning "son of Annaidh"; the fullest and most correct form of the surname which is usually written Mac Anna or Mac Canna, which see... [more]
MaherIrish (Rare) The originally spelling was "O'Meachair" which means the 'kindly' or the 'generous'. The Maher family resided in the O'Carrol... [more]