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A formal Irish name consists of a
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
and a
surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
. In the
Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and wa ...
, surnames are generally
patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, al ...
in etymology but are no longer literal patronyms as, for example, most
Icelandic name Icelandic names are names used by people from Iceland. Icelandic surnames are different from most other naming systems in the modern Western world by being patronymic or occasionally matronymic: they indicate the father (or mother) of the child ...
s still are. The form of a surname varies according to whether its bearer is male or female, and in the case of a married woman, whether she chooses to adopt her husband's surname. An alternative traditional naming convention consists of the first name followed by a double patronym, usually with the father and grandfather's names. This convention is not used for official purposes but is generalized in '' Gaeltachtaí'' (Irish-speaking areas) and also survives in some rural non-''Gaeltacht'' areas. Sometimes the name of the mother or grandmother may be used instead of the father or grandfather.


Epithets

A first name may be modified by an adjective to distinguish its bearer from other people with the same name. ''Mór'' ("big") and ''Óg'' ("young") are used to distinguish father and son, like English " senior" and " junior", but are placed between the given name and the surname: ''Seán Óg Ó Súilleabháin'' corresponds to "John O'Sullivan Jr." (although anglicised versions of the name often drop the "O'" from the name). The word ''Beag''/''Beg'', meaning "little", can be used in place of ''Óg''. This did not necessarily indicate that the younger person was small in stature, merely younger than his father. Sometimes ''beag'' would be used to imply a baby was small at birth, possibly premature. Adjectives denoting hair colour may also be used, especially informally: ''Pádraig Rua'' ("red-haired Patrick"), ''Máire Bhán'' ("fair-haired Mary").


Surnames and prefixes

A male's surname generally takes the form ''Ó''/''Ua'' (meaning "grandson/descendant of") or ''Mac'' ("son/descendant of") followed by the
genitive case In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...
of a name, as in ''Ó Dónaill'' ("grandson/descendant of Dónall") or ''Mac Siúrtáin'' ("son/descendant of Jordan"). A son has the same surname as his father. A female's surname replaces ''Ó'' with ''Ní'' (reduced from ''Iníon Uí'' – "daughter of descendant of") and ''Mac'' with ''Nic'' (reduced from ''Iníon Mhic'' – "daughter of the son of"); in both cases the following name undergoes
lenition In linguistics, lenition is a sound change that alters consonants, making them more sonorous. The word ''lenition'' itself means "softening" or "weakening" (from Latin 'weak'). Lenition can happen both synchronically (within a language at a pa ...
. However, if the second part of the surname begins with the letter ''C'' or ''G'', it is not lenited after ''Nic''. Thus the daughter of a man named Ó Dónaill has the surname ''Ní Dhónaill''; the daughter of a man named Mac Siúrtáin has the surname ''Nic Siúrtáin''. When anglicised, the name can remain O' or Mac, regardless of gender. If a woman marries, she may choose to take her husband's surname. In this case, ''Ó'' is replaced by ''Bean Uí'' ("wife of descendant of") and ''Mac'' is replaced by ''Bean Mhic'' ("wife of the son of"). In both cases ''bean'' may be omitted, in which case the woman uses simply ''Uí'' or ''Mhic''. Again, the second part of the surname is lenited (unless it begins with ''C'' or ''G'', in which case it is only lenited after ''Uí''). Thus a woman marrying a man named Ó Dónaill may choose to use ''Bean Uí Dhónaill'' (Mrs.
O'Donnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( ga, Ó Dónaill or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell, Ulster, in medieval Ireland. Naming conventions Or ...
in English) or ''Uí Dhónaill'' as her surname; a woman marrying a man named Mac Siúrtáin may choose to use ''Bean Mhic Siúrtáin'' (Mrs. MacJordan in English) or ''Mhic Siúrtáin'' as her surname. If the second part of the surname begins with a
vowel A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (l ...
, the form ''Ó'' attaches an ''h'' to it, as in ''Ó hUiginn'' ( O'Higgins) or ''Ó hAodha'' ( Hughes). The other forms effect no change: ''Ní Uiginn'', ''(Bean) Uí Uiginn''; ''Mac Aodha'', ''Nic Aodha'', ''Mhic Aodha'', and so forth. ''Mag'' is often used instead of ''Mac'' before a vowel or (sometimes) the silent ''fh''. The single female form of "Mag" is "Nig". ''Ua'' is an alternative form of ''Ó''. Some names of
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
origin have the prefix ''Fitz'', from
Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of ...
''filius'' "son", such as Fitzwilliam, Fitzgerald, and so forth. Other Norman surnames may have the prefix "de", such as de Búrca, de Paor, or de Róiste.


Patronyms and other additives

Many Irish surnames are concentrated in particular parts of the country and there are areas where a single surname may account for a large proportion of the population. Examples include O'Reilly in County Cavan, Ryan in County Tipperary and East County Limerick, or O'Sullivan in the Beara peninsula of West Cork; or areas, such as Glenullin in the
Sperrins The Sperrins or Sperrin Mountains () are a range of mountains in Northern Ireland and one of the largest upland areas in Northern Ireland. The range stretches from Strabane eastwards to Slieve Gallion in Desertmartin and north towards Limavad ...
, where there are several dominant surnames (in that instance O'Kane, Mullan, McNicholl and some others). In such cases, the surname may also acquire an additive in popular usage to differentiate one group bearing the same surname from another. This sometimes originates as a simple
patronym A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, al ...
 – that is, a James whose father was Harry might be referred to as Harry's James – but may be passed to later generations, so that James' son Pat might be Harry's Pat. This can also occur if a person becomes well known by a nickname: his children may take his nickname as an additive. For example, if Seán O'Brien was often referred to as "Badger", his son Patrick might be referred to orally as Pat Badger and written as Patrick O'Brien (B). In Tipperary, additives are particularly common among those bearing the Ryan surname. Examples include Ryan Lacken, Ryan Luke and Ryan Doc. A man christened Thomas Ryan might be known as Tommy Doc and his family might be referred to as the Docs. While the additive is not part of a person's official name, it may be used in a postal address, on an election register or in newspaper reports. In this case, Tommy Doc might be written as Thomas Ryan (D).


Traditional ''Gaeltacht'' names

In ''
Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...
ai'' (Irish-speaking areas) it remains customary to use a name composed of the first name, followed by the father's name in the
genitive case In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...
, followed by the name of the paternal grandfather, also in the genitive. Thus Seán Ó Cathasaigh (Seán O'Casey), son of Pól, son of Séamus, would be known to his neighbours as Seán Phóil Shéamuis. Occasionally, if the mother or grandmother was a well-known person locally, her name may be used instead of that of the father or grandfather. If the mother's name is used, then that of the maternal grandfather (or potentially grandmother) follows it, for example, Máire Sally Eoghain. These names are not used for official purposes. Often a nickname or English version of a name is used in their composition whereas the person would use a standard Irish form in formal circumstances. For example, the prominent sean-nós singer Seán Mac Donnchada is perhaps better known as Johnny Mhairtín Learaí. This naming system also survives to a certain extent in rural areas outside the existing Gaeltacht. The system can be particularly useful for distinguishing individuals who live in the same locale and who share a common surname but are not closely related. For example, two individuals named John McEldowney might be known as "John Patsy Den" and "John Mary Philip" respectively. Even the Irish forms sometimes survive in parts of the
Sperrins The Sperrins or Sperrin Mountains () are a range of mountains in Northern Ireland and one of the largest upland areas in Northern Ireland. The range stretches from Strabane eastwards to Slieve Gallion in Desertmartin and north towards Limavad ...
, so that among the principal families of Glenullin some branches are known by father/grandfather forms such as Pháidí Shéamais or Bhrian Dhónaill.


Examples of first names and surnames


Notable examples of first names and surnames

Some Irish people use
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
(or
anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
) forms of their names in English-language contexts and Irish forms in Irish-language contexts. The Irish names of some famous people include: Other people are better known by their Irish name than by their English name:


See also

*
List of Irish-language given names This list of Irish-language given names shows Irish language (''Gaeilge'') given names and Anglicized or Latinized forms, with English equivalents. Some English-language names derive directly from the Irish: Kathleen = Caitlín, Shaun = Seán. S ...
*
Celtic onomastics Onomastics is an important source of information on the early Celts, as Greco-Roman historiography recorded Celtic names before substantial written information becomes available in any Celtic language. Like Germanic names, early Celtic names are ...
* Place names in Ireland * Scottish Gaelic name *
Welsh surnames Fixed surnames were adopted in Wales from the 15th century onwards. Until then, the Welsh had a patronymic naming system. History In 1292, 48 per cent of Welsh names were patronymics and, in some parishes, over 70 per cent. Other names were ...


References


External links


Irish Names
at LibraryIreland.com
The Origins of Irish Surnames
at IrishTimes.com
Find Irish Family Names
at Dubliner.com
16th & 17th Century Anglicized Irish Surnames from Woulfe
by MedievalScotland.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Irish Name
Name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...
Names by culture