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.Kendall | Jun 21, 2010, 08:22 PM EDT
Ms. Kelly, Here is the real list of the most common names, in Ireland. By the way popular is a poor word choice for the tile of the article. Common would be the correct choice. 1. Murphy 2. Kelly 3. O’Sullivan 4. Walsh 5. Smith 6. O’Brien 7. Byrne 8. Ryan 9. O’Connor 10. O’Neill
Kendall | Jun 21, 2010, 08:14 PM EDT
Ms. Kelly, Here is the real list of the most common names, in Ireland. By the way popular is a poor word choice, for the title of your article. Common would be the correct choice. 1 Murphy ó Murchadha sea-battler 2 Kelly ó Ceallaigh bright-headed 3 O'Sullivan ó Súilleabháin dark-eyed 4 Walsh Breathnach Welshman 5 Smith Mac Gabhann son of the smith 6 O'Brien ó Briain high, noble 7 Byrne ó Broin a raven 8 Ryan ó Maoilriain king 9 O'Connor ó Conchobhair patron of warriors 10 O'Neill ó Néill from Niall of the Nine Hostages
Kendall | Jun 21, 2010, 09:01 AM EDT
Just because Smith is of Scot/English orgins does not mean it should be excluded from the list. Smith's have been, in Ireland at least from the 1600's, if not longer. Bushmills has only been around just as long, even St. Patrick came orignialy from what is now England. We would neve consider either of these icons as not being Irish.
WoundedKnee | Jun 08, 2010, 06:29 PM EDT
You're right, PHPEARSE, uncontrolled immigration is going to end the Irish as a distinct people.
PHPEARSE | Jun 07, 2010, 02:34 PM EDT
Gven the huge numbers of immigrants in Ireland, it won't be long tll you see names like Wyzcyzinski, Mbongo, Patel, Chen etc. in the Top Ten. They say the native irish will be in a minority in Ireland by 2050.
madeirabeach | Apr 11, 2010, 09:41 PM EDT
how about the o'donnells'
zenahifalls | Mar 23, 2010, 10:32 AM EDT
you missed flanagan
Rosebeautiful | Mar 23, 2010, 01:31 AM EDT
I love learning about the Irish heritage
Daughertylass | Mar 21, 2010, 09:56 PM EDT
What happened to the O'Dochartaigh's? There are many different spellings of this clan's names. My grandfather's last name was Daugherty.
rcrdskpr@aol.com | Mar 21, 2010, 05:14 PM EDT
i'm disappointed my chess playing mcfeelys' arent there.
allanogrady | Mar 19, 2010, 09:12 AM EDT
Got to love the O'Gradys!
pmcna1315 | Mar 10, 2010, 12:50 PM EST
thinking O'Keefe might have been a good name, but was not listed where would it fall on the list
hwodunnavent | Mar 09, 2010, 09:50 AM EST
As a wannabe Irish, who fell in love with the Emerald Isle at first sight, are you sure Dunn or Naven (the t is silent)don't fit in there somewhere?
CanadianPat | Mar 08, 2010, 10:32 PM EST
Let's not forget the Gobshites,Ribshites, and all the other Shites out there!
Scottmcgowan | Mar 08, 2010, 04:42 PM EST
Smith is the anglicized version of McGowan. It should not have made the cut! I am also a Kelly and we are a prolific lot. Scott McGowan
PatrickLee | Mar 07, 2010, 08:24 PM EST
DOn't forget O'Furniture Patty would approve.
SirGShaw | Mar 07, 2010, 07:03 PM EST
Me wifes middle name is Creagh, and is Irish forming my alliance with her on her favorite Day March 17. Me things this a curious situation, we me family migrating from Scotland to Canada and later the States.
noniboni | Mar 07, 2010, 05:48 PM EST
Well, what about Brannan,d.v. O'Brain. Brennen etc. A Good old Irish Name
ardgehane | Mar 07, 2010, 01:12 PM EST
I'm sure McCarthy was number eleven.
Malarkey | Mar 07, 2010, 08:55 AM EST
What about Malone, Mahoney, Mahan and all those? Especially Malone!!
Pat Riley | Mar 05, 2010, 03:41 PM EST
The post by CanadianPat is the biggest laugh I've had all day.
CanadianPat | Mar 04, 2010, 08:09 AM EST
Must not omit the famest MeeArse's from Ringsend, Patty and his brother Poke!
Liamkeyes | Feb 24, 2010, 02:38 PM EST
There is at least a half dozen "Madigan Pubs' in Dublin City alone.
Liamkeyes | Feb 24, 2010, 02:37 PM EST
Durnan, Doran, Durkin, Durkan. You will find most of them in ther West of Ireland, mainly in County Mayo.
Liamkeyes | Feb 24, 2010, 02:34 PM EST
All I know is that LIAM has had a huge upsurge in recent Years.
timhrich | Feb 13, 2010, 11:23 PM EST
I would have thought that Mahoney would have been right up there also?
gingerpele | Feb 13, 2010, 07:53 AM EST
My mother's maiden name was Durnan but I haven't been able to find that name on any listing for Irish names. Does anyone know what county the name came from?
Nelliegrace | Feb 12, 2010, 02:24 PM EST
I can understand how these 10 names could be the most popular. Just a little disappointed not to see Madigan.
vapsmith | Dec 20, 2009, 06:39 PM EST
I would like to comment on the posting by Binasdad on November 9, 2009. My husband is a Smith and a Niall descendant (DNA testing). Would like to know about his family if he is interested.
beachline | Nov 11, 2009, 04:40 PM EST
I see all of the previous comments have been deleted. So I ask you--how did you arrive at this list of "ten most popular names" ??? Did you actually count the number of people with these names, or simply go through a phone book and do an estimate??
Binasdad | Nov 09, 2009, 01:27 PM EST
Not too happy about the Smiths being excluded. True, the name itself has English origins but it was assigned to people who were formerly called “Mac an Ghabhan”, meaning 'son of the smith'. The name originated in County Cavan where thousands of Smiths, including my father’s family, still live. Many of our ancestors were forced, to anglicize our name to Smith or Smythe. Some others have a less anglicized version, McGowan. It isn’t right that we should be excluded because of an injustice done to our ancestors. Besides, all the other names on the list are anglicized, ours just more radically so.