Irish names are used on the island of Ireland as well as elsewhere in the Western World as a result of the Irish diaspora. See also about Irish names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AHEARNAIrish (Anglicized, Rare) Either from an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Eachthighearna meaning "descendant of Eachthighearna", or else an anglicized form of Eachthighearna.
ANDERSONScottish, Irish Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Ghille Andrais meaning 'Son of the devotee of St. Andrew'. ... [more]
BAINEBRIDGEEnglish, Irish Bridge 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]
BARNEWALLAnglo-Norman, Irish A 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]
BARRINGTONEnglish, Irish English: 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, Irish Variant 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.
BOLLARDEnglish, Irish According to MacLysaght, this surname of Dutch origin which was taken to Ireland early in the 18th century.
BONARIrish A "translation" of Irish Gaelic Ó Cnáimhsighe "descendant of Cnáimhseach", a nickname meaning literally "midwife" and ostensibly a derivative of Gaelic cnámh "bone".
BONNARIrish, Gaelic Translation of the Gaelic "O'Cnaimhsighe", descendant of Cnaimhseach, a byname meaning "Midwife
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]
BRACKENIrish From 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]
BRODERICKIrish, Welsh, English Surname 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.
BURNEYEnglish, Irish Form of the French place name of 'Bernay' or adapted from the personal name BJORN, ultimately meaning "bear".
BYNESIrish This is the surname of American actress Amanda Bynes (born April 3, 1986).
CAGNEYIrish Anglicized 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).
CALLIGANIrish (Rare) Before Irish names were translated into English, Calligan had a Gaelic form of O Ceallachain, possibly from "ceallach", which means "strife".... [more]
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.
CARLANIrish Anglicized 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]
CASHIONIrish Anglicized form of either Mac Caisin or Ó Caisin meaning "descendant of Caisín" (see CASSIDY).
CASSEYScottish, Irish This surname originated around ancient Scotland and Ireland. In its Gaelic form it is called, 'O Cathasaigh', which means 'the watchful one'.... [more]
CAULFIELDIrish Comes from the Irish Gaelic Mac Cathmhaoil, which was Anglicized to McCawell and then morphed into Caulfield. Mac Cathmhaoil comes from a word meaning "chieftan".
CINNAMONDScottish, Irish, English Possibly 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.
CLAINEScottish, Irish Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Gille Eathain, a patronymic name meaning "son of the servant of Saint John."
CLELLANDScots, Irish Scottish and Irish topographical name meaning "clay land".
CLOONEYEnglish, Irish From Gaelic Ó Cluanaigh meaning "descendant of CLUANACH". Cluanach was a given name derived from Irish clauna "deceitful, flattering, rogue".
COACHIrish Origin uncertain. Most probably a reduced form of Irish McCoach, which is of uncertain derivation, perhaps a variant of MCCAIG.
COAKLEYIrish From Irish Gaelic Mac Caochlaoich "son of Caochlaoch", a personal name meaning literally "blind warrior".
COCHRANEScottish, Scottish Gaelic, Irish Derived 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]
CONEIrish Reduced form of McCone. Americanized spelling of North German Kohn or Köhn, or Kuhn.
CONKLINIrish, Dutch Origin 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.
CONWAYWelsh, Scottish, Irish As 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]
COOGANIrish Anglicized 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).
CORKERYIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Corcra "descendant of Corcra", a personal name derived from corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin purpur).
CORRIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Corra "descendant of CORRA".
COSTELLOIrish, Italian Costello (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]
COTTERIrish Reduced 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".
COURTEnglish, French, Irish A 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]
CRANLEYIrish The 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.
CRAVENIrish, English Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (County Galway) or Mac Crabháin (Louth, Monaghan) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’... [more]
CRAWLEYEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) English: habitational name from any of the many places called Crawley, named with Old English crawe ‘crow’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’. Compare CROWLEY... [more]
CROWLEYIrish (Anglicized), English Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cruadhlaoich ‘descendant of Cruadhlaoch’, a personal name composed of the elements cruadh ‘hardy’ + laoch ‘hero’. ... [more]
CROYIrish (Anglicized) A shortened form of the surname McRoy, from Irish Gaelic Mac Rúaidh "son of Rúadh", literally "the red one".
CULBERTAnglo-Saxon, Irish, English, Scottish Meaning 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]
CUNNIFFIrish From Irish Gaelic Mac Conduibh "son of Condubh", a personal name meaning literally "black dog".
CUNNINGHAMIrish Surname 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".
CURRENTIrish The 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, Irish Irish: 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]
CUSACKIrish An 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.
DADEIrish Anglicized form of MacDaibheid, meaning "son of David".
DEESIrish The 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, English English variant of DEARY, or alternatively a nickname for a merchant or tradesman, from Anglo-French darree ‘pennyworth’, from Old French denree... [more]
DIAMONDIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier Díomá or Déamán, a diminutive of Díoma, itself a pet form of DIARMAID.
DILLONIrish Dillon 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]
DINEENIrish (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".
DISKINIrish (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.
DOANEIrish Irish: 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]
DOWELLEnglish, Scottish, Irish Derived 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.
DRURYEnglish, French, Irish Originally 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, Irish English 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]
DWIGGINSIrish Anglicized 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.
ENRIGHTIrish (Anglicized) From Irish Gaelic Indreachtach, literally "attacker". The surname was borne by British poet D.J. Enright (1920-2002).
FAGANIrish From 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)
FAHEYIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fathaidh or Ó Fathaigh meaning "descendant of Fathadh", a given name derived from the Gaelic word fothadh "base, foundation".... [more]
FAIREnglish, Irish English: 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]
FALLONIrish Anglicized form of the surname Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of Fallamhan", the name being a byname meaning "leader" (derived from follamhnas meaning "supremacy").
FANNINGIrish The 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".
FARADAYIrish From 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).
FARLEYIrish anglicized form of the Gaelic surname O'Faircheallaigh.
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]
FINANIrish Means "descendant of FIONNÁN", anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fionnáin.
FINNIGANIrish This 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.
FITZWILLIAMIrish Fitz 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.
FLAHERTYIrish (Anglicized) Irish (Connacht) reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Flaithbheartaigh ‘descendant of Flaithbheartach’, a byname meaning ‘generous’, ‘hospitable’ (from flaith(eamh) ‘prince’, ‘ruler’ + beartach ‘acting’, ‘behaving’).
FLANNERYIrish Appears originally in Irish Gaelic as O Flannabhra derived from flann, meaning "red", and abhra, meaning "eyebrow". First appeared in County Tipperary, Ireland.
FLOODIrish There 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.
FOLEYIrish As 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.
FOODYIrish Anglicized version of ó Fuada, or 'descendent of Fuada'. It comes from the personal name 'fuad' or 'swift' but also 'rush' and 'speed'.
FORBESIrish, Scottish Comes from a Scottish place meaning "field" in Gaelic. It can also be used as a first name.... [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").
FURLONGEnglish, Irish Apparently a topographic name from Middle English furlong ‘length of a field’ (from Old English furh meaning "furro" + lang meaning "long".
FURLOWEnglish (British), Irish the warrens came over to America on the Mayflower. they made settlements and went through the revolutionary war. the name changed to Baughman then Furlow. the furlows fought in the cival war and were slave owners... [more]
GALLScottish, Irish, English Nickname, 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]
GARRIGHANIrish to denote 'son of Geargain' a name which originally in derived from 'gearg' which meant grouse but which was often used figuratively for warrior
GEDDESScottish, Irish There is a place of this name in Nairn, but the name is more likely to be a patronymic from Geddie.
GEEIrish, Scottish, English, French Irish and Scottish: reduced form of McGee, Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aodha ‘son of Aodh’ (see McCoy). ... [more]
GEESONIrish This 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]
GILLANIrish The Gillan surname is a reduced Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic Mac Gille Fhaoláin, which means "son of the servant of St Faolán." While the name may have originated in Ireland, this line was extant by the beginning of the 17th century, only to find many of the family to return to Ireland about 100 years later with the Plantation of Ulster.... [more]
GILLESPIEScottish, Irish Gillespie 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]
GLISSENEnglish, Irish Possible British version of the Irish surname Glasson from the the Gaelic word O’Glasain. Meaning green from the counties of Tipperary.
GORMLEYIrish (Anglicized) Anglicised form of Ó Gormghaile meaning "descendant of Gormghal," Gormghal, a personal name, being derived from gorm meaning "noble, (dark) blue" and gal meaning "valour, ardour."
GRIBBENIrish This surname is of Old Gaelic origin, and is a variant of "Cribben", which itself is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "MACROIBIN", meaning "son of (mac) Robin", a patronymic from the Anglo-Norman French given name "Robin"... [more]