100 Irish Last Names Or Surnames
The Irish are the natives of Ireland, which is found off the Western coast of Great Britain. The tiny island country has a great influence on history. Irish people are proud of their Celtic origins, rich culture, and heritage. Irish culture stretches to the extreme reaches of the world. Therefore, it doesn’t come as a shock that no matter where you go, you are likely to run into people with old Irish surnames. Irish surnames are unique and like no other, and some popular Irish names can reveal locations, stories and family’s tradition, too.
100 Irish Surnames or Family Names with Meanings
There are many different types of Irish surnames today, but most commonly, they can be classified into three groups. Irish last names include the Gaelic Irish, Cambro-Norman, and Anglo-Irish. Here is a curated list of Irish family names along with their meanings:
1. Ahearn
Ahearn is the anglicised version of ‘descendant of Eichthighearn’, which is derived from the Gaelic term that refers to ‘Horse God.’
2. Bell
Bell is one of the common Irish surnames, and it was derived from the Old French word ‘bel’, meaning ‘beautiful’.
3. Boyle
Boyle is an anglicised version of ‘O’Boyle’ originating from the Gaelic word ‘O’Baoighill’ meaning ‘pledge’ or ‘promise’.
4. Brannon
Brannon is an Irish surname that translates to ‘Son of Bran’. The Irish word ‘Bran’ means ‘raven’.
5. Buckley
Buckley is a nickname that has originated into an Irish surname, and it means ‘cowherd’ or ‘servant’.
6. Burke
Burke is derived from the Old English word ‘Burgh’. It refers to ‘fortress’ or ‘castle’.
7. Butler
Butler is a popular Irish surname which is derived from the word ‘butiller’, which refers to ‘wine steward’.
8. Campbell
This surname is derived from the Scottish Gaelic terms which relate to ‘crooked mouth’ or ‘wry-mouthed mouth’.
9. Carey
Carey is derived from the Old Irish word ‘Ciar’, which means ‘black’ or ‘deep’.
10. Caomhanach
Caomhanach is a unique family name which refers to the ‘disciples or students of Saint Caomhan’.
11. Cassidy
Cassidy is a famous Irish surname of the anglicised form of ‘Ó Caiside’, which means ‘curly-haired’.
12. Carroll
This Irish surname is an anglicised version of ‘Cearbhal’, which means ‘hacking with a knife’.
13. Caven
Cavan means ‘born handsome’.
14. Clarke
Clark is a modern surname used by Irish people very frequently, which means ‘clergy’ or ‘priest’.
15. Coleman
Coleman is an occupational name that refers to ‘the burner of charcoal’.
16. Coghlan
In anglicised form, it is ‘Ó Cochláin.’ Cochláin in Irish terms is ‘cochall’, which refers to ‘cape’ or ‘hood.’
17. Connor
Connor means a ‘wolf or hound dog’ in Irish.
18. Cullen
This surname is derived from a traditional plant named ‘holly’.
19. Cunningham
The word Cunningham is originated from the Old Irish word ‘conn’, which means a ‘chief’ or ‘leader.’
20. Curran
Curran is an anglicised form of ‘Corraidhin’, which means a ‘small spear’.
21. Davin
Davin means ‘stag’, ‘fawn’ or an ‘ox’ in Gaelic.
22. Daugherty
This surname comes from the anglicised form of ‘Ó Dochartaigh’, which is termed as ‘obstructive’ or ‘dangerous.’
23. Desmond
This last name is a variant of ‘Deasun’ or ‘Deasmhumhain’, and it is a topographical last name.
24. Delaney
Delaney is a mixture of two old Irish words ‘black’ and ‘slan’ which means ‘defiance.’
25. Dillon
Dillion is the last name of Irish origin meaning, ‘like a lion’ or ‘loyal like a lion.’
26. Donnell
Donnel refers to ‘the son of Domhnall,’ and ‘Domhnall’ means ‘the king of the world’ in Gaelic.
27. Donaghue
The name refers to the ‘Descendant of Donnchadh’. The word ‘Donnchadh’ is derived from a Gaelic term which means ‘brown battle.’
28. Doyle
Doyle is a popular Irish family name which means a ‘dark stranger’.
29. Dunn
Dunn is the Old English word for ‘dark’. In Gaelic, it refers to ‘brown’.
30. Ennis
Ennis is a unique surname that originates from the Gaelic word ‘Inis’, which refers to an ‘island’.
31. Farrell
It is an anglicised form of ‘Ó Fearghail’, which means the ‘descendant of Fearghal’. ‘Fearghal’ refers to ‘man of valour.’
32. Ferguson
Ferguson is another variant of patronymic Irish surname which means ‘son of Fearghas’.
33. Finn
Finn is an old Irish word, which means ‘fair’ or ‘white’.
34. Fitzpatrick
This surname, in old Irish terms, means ‘the son of Patrick’. Originally, Patrick is derived from a Latin name that means ‘nobleman’.
35. Flanagan
The surname Flanagan means ‘scarlet’ or ‘reddish’.
36. Flynn
Flynn is another variant of word Flanagan. Flynn is a popular surname which means ‘reddish’ or ‘scarlet’.
37. Foley
A very common Irish surname that means ‘pirate’ or ‘plunderer’.
38. Friel
This word is an anglicised form of ‘Ó Frighil’ which means ‘descendant of Fearghal.’ ‘Feraghal’, in Irish terms refers to a ‘man of valour.’
39. Fitzsimmons
Fitzsimmons refers to the ‘son of Simon’. ‘Simon’ word is derived from Hebrew, and it means ‘he has heard’.
40. Gorman
This is an Irish surname which means ‘little blue one.’
41. Griffin
It comes from an Irish name for griffin – a mythical creature with a lion’s body and an eagle’s head and arms.
42. Guinness
Guinness is a surname derived from the word ‘Mag Aonghuis’, which means ‘one power’.
43. Hayes
Hayes is derived referring to the ‘descendant of Aodh’. The name Aodh comes from the Old Irish word ‘Aed,’ and it means ‘fire.’.
44. Higgins
This last name is derived from another Irish name which means a ‘Viking’.
45. Hogan
The surname Hogan is originated from the word ‘Ogan’, which means ‘young’.
46. Hughes
Hughes is also a variant of the word Hayes, which means ‘fire’.
47. Ivers
This is a patronymic surname derived from the Old Norse name ‘Ivarr’; it refers to ‘warrior’.
48. Johnston
This name means ‘John’s town’.
49. Lynch
Lynch is an occupational surname referring to a ‘mariner’.
50. Kane
Kane is the anglicised form of ‘O’Kane’ which means a ‘battle’.
51. Kavanagh
This word was derived from the Gaelic name ‘Caomhánach’, which was also the name of a 6th-century Irish saint.
52. Kearney
Kearney is an Irish word which refers to a ‘warrior’ or ‘the leader of a warrior group’.
53. Kelly
In Irish, the word Kelly is termed as ‘Ceallach’, and it refers to ‘bright-headed’.
54. Kennedy
Kennedy is a very old Irish word that means an ‘armoured head’ or ‘misshapen head’.
55. Kilduff
Kilduff refers to the ‘son of the black-haired person’.
56. Lennon
An anglicised form of Leannan, this name means ‘lover’.
57. Lonn
Lonn is a famous Irish Last name meaning, ‘strong, warlike’.
58. Mac Amhalghaidh
This name means ‘son of Amhalghaidh’.
59. Mac an Ghoill
The word ‘Ghoill’ is derived from an Irish word ‘Gill’ which means a ‘foreigner’ or ‘stranger’.
60. Mac an Sagairt
This is an Irish surname which means ‘son of the priest’.
61. MacAodhagain
It refers to ‘Aodhagan Descent’. The term ‘Aodhagan’ is a diminutive form of ‘Aodha’ or ‘Aed’.
62. MacBranain
MacBrananin is an Irish word, which means ‘son of Bran’. Bran is another word for raven.
63. MacBride
MacBride means ‘son of the servant of Brighid’. The name ‘Brighid’ is derived from Bridget, and it means ‘exalted one’.
64. MacCaba
MacCaba as an Irish family name termed as ‘son of Caba’, and ‘Caba’ means ‘cape’.
65. MacCarrick
MacCarrick is a popular Irish family name, and it means ‘son of Cucharraige’.
66. MacCarthy
This Irish last name refers to a ‘son of Carthach’, and Carthach means ‘loving’.
67. Mac Dhuibhinse
This is also an old Irish surname, which refers to the ‘son of Dhuibhinse’ where ‘Dhuibhinse’ means ‘black island’.
68. Macdonald
Macdonald is a Gaelic-origin word, which means ‘world-mighty’.
69. Murdock
This Irish-derived surname originates from the word ‘Murchadh’, which means ‘sea warrior’.
70. Murphy
Another variant of the Irish word ‘Murchadh’, and it also means ‘sea warrior’.
71. Murray
This surname is widely used and it refers to ‘lord’ in Irish.
72. Nolan
Nolan surname means ‘noble or a famous person.’
73. O’Brein
O’Brien is derived from the word ‘O Briain’, which means ‘a descendant of Brian’. Brian in Irish means ‘strong’ or ‘noble’.
74. O’Leary
O’Leary comes from a Gaelic word ‘O Laoghaire’, which means ‘calf herd’.
75. O’Shea
O’Shea is derived from a Gaelic word ‘O Seaghdha’, which means ‘esteemed’ or the ‘majestic one’.
76. Orman
Orman means ‘red’.
77. Power
Power is derived from the French word ‘Poier’, that refers to people who come from the town called Poix.
78. Quinn
Quinn is a Gaelic word, which means a ‘chief’.
79. Regan
Regan, in Irish terms, means ‘impulsive’. This is a very old family name.
80. Rinne
A short and simple Irish surname, it means a ‘star’.
81. Robinson
A traditional Irish surname which means ‘a son of Robin’.
82. Ryan
An Irish-origin which is commonly used, it means ‘little king’.
83. Scully
Scully is the anglicised form of ‘Ó Scolaidhe’ relating to ‘a scholar’s descendant’.
84. Sheehy
Sheehy means ‘peaceful’ or ‘mysterious’ in Gaelic.
85. Sloan
Sloan is an old Irish word, which means ‘raid’.
86. Sullivan
The surname Sullivan is derived from a Gaelic word, which refers to the phrase ‘little dark eye’.
87. Stewart
This name is a Gaelic equivalent word ‘Stiobhard’, which means ‘one who superintends’.
88. Tighe
Tighe is derived from the anglicized word ‘O Taidhg’, which means ‘poet’.
89. Toole
Toole is an Irish surname refers to ‘ruler of the people’.
90. Vincent
Vincent is an anglicised form of ‘Mac Dhuibhinse’, which means ‘son of Dhuibhinse’. The word ‘Dhuibhinse’ refers to ‘black island’.
91. Vail
Vail is an old English word, and it means ‘from the valley’.
92. Victory
Victory is of Gaelic origin, and it means ‘son of the unripe one’.
93. Walsh
Walsh is an Old English word, which is derived from the word ‘Waelisc’, which refers to ‘foreigner’ or ‘stranger’.
94. Ward
Ward is derived from word ‘Mac an Bhaird’ that means ‘son of the bard’.
95. Whelan
Whelan is derived from a Gaelic word ‘fael’, which refers to ‘little wolf’.
96. White
White is a popular Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word ‘Mac Giolla Bháin’, which means ‘fair complexion’.
97. Wren
An Anglicised version of Gaelic word ‘O Rinn’, it is a name probably originating from ‘reann’, meaning ‘spear’.
98. Wolf
Wolf is a translation of Gaelic word ‘O Faolain’, which refers to ‘little wolf’.
99. Wynne
Wynne is derived from a Gaelic word, which means ‘fair’ or ‘white’.
100. Yaw
Yaw surname means ‘eager’.
Irish surnames are mostly ancestral, and some of them are either patronymic or topographical. These names have evolved and spread to many areas such as Europe, Canada, United States, and more. Most names have an anglicised form, and all of them have deep, insightful, and historical meanings.