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The 10 most popular Irish last names

Read complete clan story and see photos about each family

ANTOINETTE KELLY,

IrishCentral.com, Staff Writer

Published Saturday, November 12, 2011, 7:15 AM

Updated Saturday, November 12, 2011, 7:15 AM

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Coats of arms representing Irish clans

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.

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Eireannach | Mar 06, 2013, 03:04 PM EST

Many 'Irish Americans' are in fact 'Scots Irish', but are unaware of it. If you have a Scottish name, or name is pre-fixed by Mc/Mac then you are probably Scots. If your family is/was presbyterian or Baptist you're probably a Scot. If you have red hair/freckles and come from the south - you're probably Scottish. Scotland is a beautiful country too, even though it's got its problems - poor health, high alcohol/drug abuse and violence (see health stats for Scotland). If you're Scots you ought to visit the fatherland - especially the north and the islands. Each area tells a different and rich story, and to hear Gaelic spoken and sung on the Hebrides is something to cherish.

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Eireannach | Mar 06, 2013, 02:53 PM EST

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molly21 | Aug 01, 2012, 07:52 AM EDT

guys can u add me up on Facebook. . honey_yabut21@yahoo.com thanks :))

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numberonejoshfa | Mar 09, 2012, 05:56 PM EST

My Grandmother was Irish to the bone, but her birth record has been lost over the years. She was a Reynolds. How I wish there was some way to trace muy ancestry. I am very proud of my Irish ancestry.

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numberonejoshfa | Mar 09, 2012, 05:48 PM EST

What about Reynolds, or O'rannals?

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JOHNTOBIN | Nov 13, 2011, 12:45 AM EST

This is interesting reading.How about Tobin?I believe it is Norman in origin.

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ohioirish | Nov 13, 2011, 12:18 AM EST

while smith is often an english name, it is also often a native irish name and is synonomous with mcgowan. it is an anglisized version of mac gabhann "son of smith". love the list, but smith can be the surname of native irish as well.

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crowsnest | Nov 12, 2011, 04:40 PM EST

I did notice that Murphy 46, being a Murphy and all myself

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Murph46 | Nov 12, 2011, 03:31 PM EST

NOTICE-Murphy #1

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crowsnest | Nov 12, 2011, 11:52 AM EST

My great Grandmother was a McCOOL ( mac Cumhaill); My grandmother was a WARD. Both these surnames go way back and it would be great if Irish central would do a column on these plus any other old surnames suggested by your readers.

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ohioirish | Nov 12, 2011, 09:59 AM EST

antoinette, while smith is the #1 surname in england, it actually is very often a native irish surname also and is synonomous with mcgowan. mcgowan (mac gobhann) means "son of the smith" and was often anglizised to "smith". so while often is english, it is often the surname of native irish as well. http://irishfamilyhistory.ie/blog/?p=102 othen than that, love the article!

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GeorgeDillon | Nov 12, 2011, 09:10 AM EST

This is a ridiculously inaccurate and inadequate list. Where's Chen? And Czarleszvski? And what about mBongo? And Patel?

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