Irish surnames

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Irish surnames are the surnames of families that, at least in large parts, have been resident on the Irish island for a long time .

origin

In Ireland resident families of origin are classified by roughly into four groups. For a long time, this subdivision was of great cultural and sometimes also legal significance. Today it is more of historical or family historical importance, as there has always been a high degree of mixing of the groups and at no time have " ethnically cleanly separated" groups lived in Ireland .

Surnames

The names of many Irish families since at least the Middle Ages, traditionally the prefixes Ó or Mac prefixed. Both prefixes refer to historical or legendary ancestors, unlike in other languages not to the biological father. So they are not patronyms . Here, Ó (also Ua ) denotes the "grandson" and Mac the "son" in today's Irish. The pattern is therefore "son / grandson of ...", z. B. Ó Briain "grandson of Brian". Briain is the genitive of Brian.

The feminine equivalents of the prefixes are (to Ó ) and Nic (to Mac ). These prefixes change the initial sound of the following name: Ní Bhriain (see initial mutation ). These prefixes are only used for names at birth . After marriage, the woman takes on the man's name in the form "wife of the son of ...", e.g. B. Máire Bean Uí Bhriain, "Máire wife of Brian's grandson". The entire family is with referred (Uí Briain), but also the genitive of Ó (as in the example previously Uí Bhriain ).

In the late Middle Ages in particular, many Norman families “hibernated” their names. A typical example is Mac Gearailt, "Son of Geralt", also in the form Fitzgerald, from a lexical point of view Franco-Norman ("fitz" from French fils, "son"), formally a "normal" Irish name. On the other hand, some native families and family branches have dropped the prefixes in order to culturally assimilate . During the so-called Irish Renaissance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some families added the prefixes back, wrote their names in Irish orthography, or translated the names into Irish.

Most Irish family names , however, are much better known internationally in their Anglicised versions. Examples:

  • Ó Briain: (O ') Brien, (O') Brian
  • Ó Cinnéide: (O ') Kennedy
  • Ó Riagáin: Reagan
  • Ó Ceallaigh: (O ') Kelly
  • Mac Coisdealbha: Costello
  • Mac Suibhne: (Mc) Sweeney

The prefix Ó is not used in Scotland , Mac is used exclusively . Perhaps the best-known example is “ McDonald ” or “ Macdonald ”, from Scottish Gaelic Mac Dhomhnaill, “son of Domhnall / Donald”. Name formations of this type are also used in Welsh , there in the form mab or map (shortened to ap ): ap Rhys, "son of Rhys", mostly Anglicized Rice, Price or Pryce. Other examples: ap Ifan, "son of Ifan", anglicizes Bevan; ap Hywel, anglicized Powell .

Well-known family names

Irish Gaelic

  • Mac Dubh (aigh) ((Mac) Duffy, O'Duffy, McDuff etc.): son of the black (hairy) en
  • Mac Guaire, originally Cineal Guaire (Dwyer, McGyver, Maguire): a family, focusing on one of the few people in the Irish early medieval returns that both the seal shows up and is historical evidence, Guaire Aidne , king of the Uí Fiachrach in Connacht , died A.D. 663
  • Uí Briain (O ' Brian , O'Brynn): in the Middle Ages, most powerful family in the west of the country
  • Uí Murchadhadh, Uí Murchú ( Murphy ): most common family name in Dublin today
  • Uí Néill ( O'Neill , O'Niall): most powerful family in the north of the country in the Middle Ages
  • Uí Rathaille ( (O ') Reilly )
  • Uí Ceallaigh ( O'Kelly ): second most common name in Ireland
  • Uí Madadhan (O ' Madden )
  • Uí Neachtain (O ' Naughton )
  • Uí Domhnalláin (O ' Donnellan )
  • Uí Mullally ( O'Lally )
  • Uí Fallamháin (O ' Fallon )

Anglo - or Cambro-Norman

  • de Burca (de Burgh): a powerful family in the Galway area in the late Middle Ages
  • Mac Gearailt (Fitzgerald): one of the first families to come to the country with the Normans
  • Col o'Beorth (Colobert): quoted by William the Conqueror in his Domesday Book

English, Scottish

  • Mac Amhlaoibh, Mac Amhlaidh (Macauley, McCorley, etc.): a family from the Outer Hebrides

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