Irish and Irish-Americans alike tend to be immensely proud of their surnames.
Many a Irish family proudly declare their Irish roots by displaying the crest of their clan in their homes.
But which last names win in the battle of Irishness?
IrishCentral took a look at the list of the most common surnames in Ireland in order to come up with a top 10 list.
Smith and Murray are two of the most common, but one is of British origins and the other’s Scottish, so they didn’t make the cut.
Here, then, are the 10 most Irish last names:
1. Murphy - the sea battlers
Murphys – you win the prize for most common and widespread name in Ireland, especially in County Cork.
This surname, which means “sea battler,” translates to Gaelic as MacMurchadh (son of Murchadh) and O'Murchadh (descendent of Murchadh), a derivation of the first name of Murchadh or Murragh.
O'Murchadh families lived in Wexford, Roscommon and Cork, in which county it is now most common, with the MacMurchadhs of the Sligo and Tyrone area responsible for most of the Murphys in Ulster.
The name was first anglicized to MacMurphy and then to Murphy in the early 19th century.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE MURPHY CLAN! CLICK HERE
2. Kelly – the bright-headed ones
Kelly comes second to Murphy as the most common surname in Ireland.
The Kellys are all over Ireland; the name originates from at around 10 different and unrelated ancient clans or septs. These include O'Kelly septs from Meath, Derry, Antrim, Laois, Sligo, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Galway and Roscommon.
O'Kelly comes from the Gaelic O Ceallaigh, meaning "descended from Ceallach," an Irish chieftan. “Ceallach” means war or contention. It is an ancient first name that is no longer used as a first name in Ireland. However, Kelly is a popular first name for women in the U.S.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE KELLY CLAN! CLICK HERE
3. O'Sullivan – the hawkeyed ones
Kellys may have bright heads, but O’Sullivans have hawk-like eyes.
The O'Sullivans or Sullivans are one of the most populous of the Munster families. In Irish, O'Sullivan is O'Sileabhin, and there is no doubt that origin of the name comes from the word sil (eye), though whether it is to be taken as "one-eyed" or "hawkeyed" is in dispute among scholars.
Originally lords of the territory around Cahir, County Tipperary, in the 12th century, they migrated to what is now West Cork and South Kerry, where the name is still very prominent.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE O'SULLIVAN CLAN! CLICK HERE
4. Walsh – the Welshmen
The meaning of this “Welsh” name is pretty straightforward.
The name Walsh is one of the most common of the Norman associated names found in Ireland. It seems to have been the name used by the many different groups of Welsh people who arrived in Ireland with the Normans during the 12th century.
The name comes from Welsh, which simply means Welshman, and its early Norman form was "Le Waleys." But this became gradually anglicized to Walsh.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE WALSH CLAN! CLICK HERE
5. O'Brien – the noblemen
O’Briens are pretty lucky – they are descended from one of the greatest and most famous Irish kings.
The name O’Brien, also spelled O'Bryan or O'Brian, translates to Ó Briain in Gaelic, which means "of Brian.”
The name indicates descendance from Brian Boru, the celebrated High King of Ireland. This gives O’Briens leave to call themselves “high” and “noble.”
Most O’Briens can be found in Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE O'BRIEN CLAN! CLICK HERE
6. Byrne – the ravens
Byrnes can be found flying around all over Counties Wicklow and Dublin.
Byrne, originally O’Byrne, comes from the Gaelic O'Broin meaning "descended from Bran,” an 11th century King of Leinster.
The O'Byrnes were chieftains of what is now County Kildare until the Norman invasion when they were driven from their lands and migrated (ha!) into the mountains of County Wicklow.
There, together with their allies the O'Tooles, they successfully resisted Norman and English domination for centuries.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE BYRNE CLAN! CLICK HERE
7. Ryan – the little kings
The meaning of the Irish name Ryan comes from the old Gaelic word "righ" and the old Irish diminutive of "an," which together form the meaning of "little king."
The name Ryan comes from the Irish name O' Riain - a contraction of the older Irish form O'Mulriain, which is now virtually extinct.
Ryan is also an extremely popular first name, especially in Britain and the U.S.
The Ryan family motto is 'Malo More Quam Foedari', which, when translated, means 'I would Rather Die than be Disgraced'. And they call them “little” kings…
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE RYAN CLAN! CLICK HERE
8. O'Connor – patrons of warriors
They might not be warriors themselves, but at least O’Connors descend from them!
The O'Connor name, with its varied spellings, doesn't spring from a common source. The name arose in five areas of Ireland: Connacht, Kerry, Derry, Offaly and Clare and split into six distinct septs.
The most prominent sept is that of the Connacht O'Connors who gave us the last two High-Kings of Ireland: Turlough O'Connor (1088-1156) and Roderick O'Connor (1116-1198). They trace their heritage and name from the Irish "Ua Conchobhair," meaning from Conchobhar, a king of Connacht.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE O'CONNOR CLAN! CLICK HERE
9. O'Neill – from a champion, Niall of the Nine Hostages
The O'Neill family traces its history back to 360 A.D. to the legendary warrior king of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages, who is said to have been responsible for bringing St. Patrick to Ireland.
Niall is also said to have been incredibly fertile – he has 3 million descendents worldwide.
“O’Neill” is derived from two separate Gaelic words, "Ua Niall," which means grandson of Niall, and "Neill" meaning "champion."
Ireland’s O'Neills were known by the nickname "Creagh," which comes from the Gaelic word "craobh" meaning branch, because they were known to camouflage themselves to resemble the forest when fighting the Norsemen. Crafty fellows, those O’Neills.
READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE O'NEILL CLAN! CLICK HERE
10. O'Reilly - ?
The O'Reillys round out the top 10 most popular names in Ireland.
Their family name is derived from the Gaelic "O'Raghailligh," meaning descendants of Raghaillach.
The O'Reillys were the most powerful sept of the old Gaelic kingdom of Breffny (Cavan and the surrounding counties), and the family is still prominent in the area.
Reilly, often spelled Riley, has become a trendy given name in the U.S., for both baby boys and girls.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Liamkeyes | Apr 29, 2011, 05:17 PM EDT
Redmond is very numerous in County Wexford, they came over in the 10th Century from Normandy along with the Powers in County Waterford and D'evereux's. "More Power sez Oul' Power when young Power was born!!!!!
sharoneileen | Apr 29, 2011, 03:29 PM EDT
I descend from Murray, Cooney, Kelly, Ryan, Gaffney, McCabe, Amond(Allman), Feehan, Dalton, Gibney, and a few as yet unidentified. I agree with everything except for the dissed Murrays. True there were many Scots but there are purley Irish Murrays as well.
WoundedKnee | Apr 28, 2011, 06:05 PM EDT
PETERROBRIEN: Does that mean that the Irish Prime Minister Kenny isn't Irish?
PETERROBRIEN | Apr 25, 2011, 06:40 PM EDT
OLD IRISH SAYING ~~~ By Mac and O you'll surly know True Irishman,they say; But, if you lack both "O" and "MAC" No Irishman are they
WoundedKnee | Apr 21, 2011, 09:55 AM EDT
bobjenn: "My grandmother was born in County Mayo in 1891,Her family was dirt poor.She had some family,but would`nt talk a lot about them to me or my Brother.any help would be great." That's nothing. My granma was born in Dublin and she was so poor she couldn't even afford a name.
bobjenn | Mar 30, 2011, 10:42 AM EDT
Her family name was Lavin,Sarah
bobjenn | Mar 30, 2011, 10:41 AM EDT
My grandmother was born in County Mayo in 1891,Her family was dirt poor.She had some family,but would`nt talk a lot about them to me or my Brother.any help would be great.Thank you
dpleymeister | Mar 04, 2011, 01:12 AM EST
Can anyone help me out please? I've been trying to track down family information for awhile now on the surname McCreight. At one point I found The name may have a varient, McGrath. Im trying to find from what county my family is from. I dont know if this is an almost extinct name or what..
jerryoneill | Feb 05, 2011, 01:07 PM EST
I think I like the O'Neill name the most. I think it may because of Shaq or maybe uncle Eugene
GaelicPrince | Nov 14, 2010, 04:59 PM EST
I always thought that Kilmister was the coolest name of all! I say it like "Kill Mister", it supposed to be said like Kilum-ster? I think. Is that irish or ginger pale? My grandfather didn't want me to have his family name, I always dreamed of changing it to Kilmister, is that a popular name in Ireland?
johnsull15 | Sep 20, 2010, 09:39 AM EDT
Being a Sullivan I feel I have to make a comment on the Irish spelling OSileabhin and sil meaning eye? as far as I was taught suil was eye and O Suileabhain was Sullivan meaning hawkeye or one eye, sil means to think or in a different text to drip or ooze. If I am wrong let me know.
GeorgeDillon | Sep 15, 2010, 02:50 PM EDT
manhattan: "My great grandmother in Longford was a Whitney." Was she any relation to Whitney Houston?
GeorgeDillon | Sep 15, 2010, 02:48 PM EDT
Joliejo: "My great or maybe, great great grandfather came from Ireland sometime during the mid 1800s. His name was Ratliff. From what I hear he was a real scoundrel, but I still wonder about the name." Yeah, I knew him. He was a real jerk.
LITTLEGOAT | Sep 14, 2010, 10:01 AM EDT
interesting how usa uses kelly as a first name but ireland no longer does
Watereskhill | Sep 14, 2010, 01:42 AM EDT
Much as 'WoundedKnee' is sardonic I laughed heartily at his comment. A peculiar truth. Everyone ferreting for a plaque when The Patel Family are the next O'Sullivans of Erin.
kathleentracy | Sep 13, 2010, 11:38 AM EDT
For "KissAngel" - I can't find your original posting, but you mentioned that your John J. Murphy changed his surname to Jones and you mentioned his death date. Here is the death certificate information that I believe is him. John J. M. JONES - 68 yrs old - died 19 (not 22) Oct 1911 - Cert #3345 - Queens County - FHL #1323426. Good luck!
joeyreds | Sep 13, 2010, 08:49 AM EDT
Wasn't Redmond the most significant family in Ireland?
killowen | Sep 13, 2010, 04:02 AM EDT
Importance of an ireland using url angelfire.com slash ny/border slash symbols.html
killowen | Sep 13, 2010, 04:00 AM EDT
using angelfire.com slash ny/border slash symbols.html
killowen | Sep 13, 2010, 03:58 AM EDT
http://www.angelfire.com/ ny/border/symbols.html Importance of an Ireland.
gretchenkohls | Sep 13, 2010, 03:50 AM EDT
Interesting Is Burns a derivitive of O'Byrne? I'm also curious to know about Delaney. Both my grandmother and grandfather's parents were born in Ireland (Nana and G-pa were born in the U.S.) I'd love to learn more about them, and see about getting an Irish passport or citizenship.
johnpcosgrove | Sep 12, 2010, 11:47 PM EDT
Which County does the Iris Name - Family Cosgrove hail from?
S7McCabe | Sep 12, 2010, 09:02 PM EDT
I like it.
JOLIEJO | Sep 12, 2010, 08:33 PM EDT
Paradigm---thanks for the insight; although, drinking was the one vice never laid at his door, but it could explain his mean reputation.
JOLIEJO | Sep 12, 2010, 08:00 PM EDT
Paradigm-- thanks for that insight. Although dinking was never one of the vices laid at his door, it could explain his reputation for being mean.
Paradigm | Sep 12, 2010, 07:41 PM EDT
Joliejo - he was only Ratliff when he was drunk - which was most of the time - his proper name was Radcliff - I remember him well! Scoundrel only when full - but not a bad fellow sober.
JOLIEJO | Sep 12, 2010, 07:32 PM EDT
My great or maybe, great great grandfather came from Ireland sometime during the mid 1800s. His name was Ratliff. From what I hear he was a real scoundrel, but I still wonder about the name. I have run across few Ratliffs.
JWaldrop42 | Sep 12, 2010, 07:03 PM EDT
I would prefer a list of the name with alnk to the "story.
nanaben7 | Sep 12, 2010, 06:49 PM EDT
anyone know what is origin keane or o'hara is?
Dublinjas | Sep 12, 2010, 06:32 PM EDT
Aloygirl "Briggs" is an Olde English name meaning "Bridges". And the modern connotation of the name is obviously Bridges.....As in Jeff Bridges.
Dublinjas | Sep 12, 2010, 06:23 PM EDT
It is my observation that the most unpopular name in Ireland is Cowen
teddybear | Sep 12, 2010, 06:14 PM EDT
My Grandmother was an O'Malley,, no mention of them I guess we are related to Grace.
Aloygirl | Sep 12, 2010, 06:04 PM EDT
My maiden name was Clark & we have a coat of arms...but we are definitely not in the top 10. Does anyone know if Briggs is Irish?
beachline | Sep 12, 2010, 05:51 PM EDT
I am glad to see people catching up on the ommissions in this story.
manhattan | Sep 12, 2010, 04:00 PM EDT
My great grandmother in Longford was a Whitney. Sounds English to me. Anyone out there know where the name came from?
JerryLynch | Sep 12, 2010, 03:48 PM EDT
What happened to "Lynch?!"
pegmckpt | Sep 12, 2010, 03:47 PM EDT
When reearching Irish surnames, are you including the North, from where a few folks emmigrated about 100 years ago? are there more Mc/ Mac surnames from the North?
peterson | Sep 12, 2010, 03:29 PM EDT
How about Cleburne, Cashman and Boland ??
deecallahan | Sep 12, 2010, 03:13 PM EDT
disappointed
WoundedKnee | Sep 12, 2010, 02:55 PM EDT
How about Patel? Yarzcynski? Chung? mBongo? These are the names that are fast becoming the most common in Ireland.
snuffey | Sep 12, 2010, 02:53 PM EDT
Where are the McLaughlin's
RosemaryKelly | Sep 12, 2010, 02:49 PM EDT
I always knew Kelly was a very common name in Ireland - this is why I have such a hard time looking up my roots - too many Kellys!!!!
Paradigm | Sep 12, 2010, 01:34 PM EDT
I'm sure Maginnis - the old Celtic version from Co Down, as distinct from McGuinness, the Anglo-Irish version should be there or thereabouts!
cormack | Sep 12, 2010, 01:05 PM EDT
i thought the most popular or common name in cork mitchels town is McCarthy
Dominick | Sep 12, 2010, 11:24 AM EDT
enjoyed reading abt the popular names, however, where are the Daly's and where are the Fagan's?.....really love the irish viewpoints and catching up with the current events over in Ireland...
breffney | Sep 12, 2010, 11:01 AM EDT
No surname beginning with Mc or Mac (meaning "son of"). That is a bit strange. ?
LinLinisme | Sep 12, 2010, 10:31 AM EDT
Where did the name CARDIN come from? Can you give me any information
carrickcourt | Sep 12, 2010, 10:11 AM EDT
How about the least common surnames in Ireland? Babington has to be on that list. My third cousin John Power is married to an O'Brien. O'Reilly is a good Co. Cavan surname.
beachline | Sep 12, 2010, 09:27 AM EDT
This is a repeat of a list published several months ago. It also does not include many Irish names --Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick (which is not Norman origin, but Irish, and spelled MacGiollaPadraig). I am sure others will comment on the lack of their names on this list.
mcdolan | Sep 12, 2010, 08:57 AM EDT
Interesting but a couple of comments: I take issue with the nearly anglicized spelling of the 'Irish' version O'Sullivan in this article, which I have never come across before. It is written here in Ireland as Ó Súilleabháin (pronounced oh SOOLEVAWN or oh soolawawn). Secondly, the O'Byrne name is perhaps most common and certainly well established in County Louth for centuries.