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The 10 most popular Irish last names

Click links after each family to see complete clan story and photos

ANTOINETTE KELLY,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, August 9, 2009, 8:33 AM

Updated Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 4:33 PM

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Coats of arms representing Irish clans

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.

READ THE WHOLE STORY OF THE O'REILLY CLAN! CLICK HERE

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31 Comments

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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

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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

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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.

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WoundedKnee | Jun 08, 2010, 06:29 PM EDT

You're right, PHPEARSE, uncontrolled immigration is going to end the Irish as a distinct people.

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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.

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madeirabeach | Apr 11, 2010, 09:41 PM EDT

how about the o'donnells'

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zenahifalls | Mar 23, 2010, 10:32 AM EDT

you missed flanagan

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Rosebeautiful | Mar 23, 2010, 01:31 AM EDT

I love learning about the Irish heritage

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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.