What is the most common Irish family name?

Murphy. The most common of all Irish names, the Murphy surname can be found in all four provinces. Murphys are primarily from Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Roscommon, Sligo, Tyrone, and Wexford, however.
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What are the 10 most common Irish last names?

The Most Popular Irish Family Names
  • Murphy.
  • Byrne.
  • Kelly.
  • O'Brien.
  • Ryan.
  • O'Sullivan.
  • O'Connor.
  • Walsh.
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What is a classic Irish last name?

For example, Murphy, Byrne, and O'Brien are a few of the oldest and most common surnames in Ireland. Some may even say Murphy is the most Irish name ever, as it's currently the most common surname in the country. Many Irish family names have both anglicised and Gaelic equivalents.
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What is the oldest Irish surname?

The earliest known Irish surname is O'Clery (O Cleirigh); it's the earliest known because it was written that the lord of Aidhne, Tigherneach Ua Cleirigh, died in County Galway back in the year 916 A.D. In fact, that Irish name may actually be the earliest surname recorded in all of Europe.
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What are the most common family names in Ireland?

Common Irish Last Names
  • Murphy – ó Murchadha. ...
  • Kelly – ó Ceallaigh. ...
  • Byrne – ó Broin. ...
  • Ryan – ó Maoilriain. ...
  • O'Sullivan – ó Súilleabháin. ...
  • Doyle – ó Dubhghaill. ...
  • Walsh – Breathnach. ...
  • O'Connor – ó Conchobhair.
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Frequency of Irish Surnames (1890s)



What is the most rare Irish last name?

1. Moloughney. This unusual Irish surname is as rare as it is hard to pronounce.
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What is the most Irish name ever?

1. O'Sullivan (ó Súilleabháin) O'Sullivan has to be the most Irish name ever. Also known as simply Sullivan, is an Irish Gaelic clan-based most prominently in what is today County Cork and County Kerry.
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What are Viking Irish surnames?

Cotter, Dromgoole, Doyle, Jennings, Lappin, Higgins, McLaughlin, McManus, Halpin, Swan, Grimes, Sweetman, Storey, Hendrick, O'Rourke, Cosgrave, Kitt, Broderick, Kirby, Hewson, Dolphin and Coppinger would all be modern-day Irish surnames of Viking descent.
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What are Viking last names in Ireland?

Other Norse names found occasionally in Ireland still include Cotter, Dowdall, Dromgoole, Gould, Harold, Howard, Loughlin, Sweetman and Trant.
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What were the Irish called before Irish?

From as far back as the 16th century, historians taught that the Irish are the descendants of the Celts, an Iron Age people who originated in the middle of Europe and invaded Ireland somewhere between 1000 B.C. and 500 B.C.
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What are the rarest Irish names?

Unique Irish girl names
  • Béibhinn (10) – Pronounced 'bay-veen' – Meaning 'white' or 'fair lady'
  • Seoidín (10) – Pronounced 'show-deen' – Meaning 'little jewel'
  • Éirinn (9) or Éireann (8) – Pronounced 'air-in' – A variant of Éire, meaning 'Ireland'
  • Réaltín (9) or Réiltín (6) – Pronounced 'rail-cheen' – Meaning 'little star'
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What are Royal Irish names?

Leinster:
  • MacMurrough (Overlord)
  • O'Byrne.
  • O'Toole.
  • O'Brennan.
  • O'More.
  • O'Dempsey.
  • Fitzgerald of Kildare (Overlord)
  • Fitzpatrick.
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What is the oldest name for Ireland?

Hibernia, in ancient geography, one of the names by which Ireland was known to Greek and Roman writers. Other names were Ierne, Iouernia and (H)iberio. All these are adaptations of a stem from which Erin and Eire are also derived.
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What is the most beautiful Irish name?

Irish Girls Names:
  1. Aoife (ee-fa) This name means beautiful, radiant or joyful, and likely derives from the Gaelic word 'aoibh' meaning 'beauty' or 'pleasure.' ...
  2. Caoimhe (kwee-va or kee-va) ...
  3. Saoirse (ser-sha) ...
  4. Ciara (kee-ra) ...
  5. Niamh (neev or nee-iv) ...
  6. Roisin (ro-sheen) ...
  7. Cara. ...
  8. Clodagh (cloda)
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What is the most popular Irish name in America?

Murphy – the sea warrior

The most common of all Irish surnames you'll hear in America is Murphy. This highly popular surname means “sea warrior”, a personal name that was once particularly popular in County Tyrone.
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Where is the largest Irish population in the United States?

According to the most recent Census data, Cook County in the state of Illinois has the largest Irish population of all the US counties, being home to almost 440,000 Irish-American citizens.
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Do most Irish have Viking blood?

New research shows that the Irish definitely have their fair share of Viking heritage–in fact, the Irish are more genetically diverse than most people may assume. The Irish have Viking and Norman ancestry in similar proportions to the English.
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Do most Irish people have Viking blood?

Experts believe that a majority of Irish people have Celtic roots; however, a study published on Thursday found they may also have a great deal of influence from the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and British.
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Do Irish people have Viking blood?

Extensive research into the genetic spread across Ireland and Britain has found that we have massively underestimated Irish Viking heritage.
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What are Irish Norwegian names?

Other Irish surnames that have similar roots in a given Norse name include: Arthur, O'Beirne, McBirney, Bligh, Boland, Broder, Broderick, O'Gohery/ Godfrey, Harold, O'Henrick, O'Hever, Reynolds, Sugrue, Sweetman, Toner, Tormey and many more.
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What are Irish Travellers surnames?

They have Irish surnames – Ward, Connors, Carty, O'Brien, Cash, Coffey, Furey, MacDonagh, Mohan. In recent times, some have moved into the settled community; the town of Rathkeale in Co Limerick, population about 2000, has about 45% Travellers.
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What did the Norse call the Irish?

Vestmenn (Westmen in English) was the Old Norse word for the Gaels of Ireland and Britain, especially Ireland and Scotland. Vestmannaeyjar in Iceland and Vestmanna in the Faroe Islands take their names from it.
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What is the most Irish thing to say?

Contents hide
  • 1.1 “Top o the mornin to ya!”
  • 1.2 “And the rest of the day to yourself”.
  • 1.3 “To be sure, to be sure”.
  • 1.4 “a pint of the black stuff”
  • 1.5 “He's talking a load of Blarney”
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Do Northern Irish consider themselves Irish?

In 2021: 42.8% identified as British, alone or with other national identities. 33.3% identified as Irish, alone or with other national identities. 31.5% identified as Northern Irish, alone or with other national identities.
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What is a strong Irish male name?

50 Irish Boys Names
  • Conor. ...
  • Sean. ...
  • Oisin (uh-sheen or o-sheen) ...
  • Patrick. ...
  • Cian (kee-an) ...
  • Liam. ...
  • Darragh (darra) ...
  • Cillian (kill-ee-an)
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