Surnames you only see in certain places in Ireland

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Sugrue seems to be a Kerry only name.

Midlands as well.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mars Bar wrote: »

Is Bodkin common outside of Galway?

I have never come across that surname.

Jimbob1977

Collopy, Carmody and Punch in Limerick

Plus all the Palatine German names.... like Switzer, Bovinizer etc

secondattempt

garrixfan wrote: »

I was mindblown when I found out the name LAVELLE was NOT French.

There are a lot of names you think have to be foreign that turn out to be very Irish like Hession.

In college this year I met a few people frI'm say the opposite end of the Midlands with names I'd never met before.

garrixfan

secondattempt wrote: »

There are a lot of names you think have to be foreign that turn out to be very Irish like Hession.

In college this year I met a few people frI'm say the opposite end of the Midlands with names I'd never met before.

I actually have a great grandparent with the name 'Dubois'

road_high

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

I never heard the name Ramsbottom till I moved to Laois, it's an extremely common surname there tho. To this day I still don't think I've met a Ramsbottom outside of Laois.

We have a good ramsbottoms across the border in Kilkenny too!
A few Watchorns as well which is not seen much elsewhere!

road_high

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Byrne's are very numerous in Wicklow.

I imagine that most clan names are still strong in their original lands

Very common in Wexford, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny too!

road_high

I'd always associate Nolan with Carlow, Kilkenny Wexford but fairly common everywhere.

Luxie

Balmed Out wrote: »

Hayes is the most common name along with o'donovan around me in west cork

I have one of those surnames (and from West cork )

Tarzana2

For Forks Sake wrote: »

All of Cork (apart from the bits out west full of hippies and/or retired british folk) can be covered by about half a dozen surnames.

Isn't Cork genuinely the most inbred part of the country? Like way higher levels of it than anywhere else. Heard that a few years ago somewhere, might try and find a link.

sligojoek

Mesrine65 wrote: »

Tipperary - McGough

I lived in North Tipp for nearly thirty years. I knew loads of Goughs but only knew one family of McGoughs. Having said that It could be more common down south.

Luxie

ciarang85 wrote: »

O'Dovovan don't think iv'e ever met one from outside cork, i'm there's loads tho:)

I'm one but they originated in limerick apparently. We're blow ins it seems.

For Forks Sake

Tarzana2 wrote: »

Isn't Cork genuinely the most inbred part of the country? Like way higher levels of it than anywhere else. Heard that a few years ago somewhere, might try and find a link.

Hell no, that's New Ross. It's a wonder some people there are able to stand up, let alone function.

Reiver

Whats the deal with Reilly and O'Reilly/?

Tarzana2

martyos121 wrote: »

Not exclusive to Mayo, but you can't walk more than a few meters without going past a Moran.

+1

My own very unusual surname is pretty much just in a small pocket of my home county. It originates as a variation of a Northern Irish name where I would have thought it a Protestant name, but apparently not. Coupled with a weird first name, people's first guess for where I'm from is Eastern Europe! I longed to be Aoife Murphy or Siobhan Kelly or something as a kid. Still feel self-conscious over my name now at 31!

There is also a surname concentrated in my home area that is genuinely of French origin.

Tarzana2

Lux23 wrote: »

North county Dublin has some unsual ones like Sweetman, Fitzachary, Savage.

What a great surname.

Expunge

And a big shout out at this point to the Cliffes, Mountains and Quarrys of Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.

All related, I believe.


Oh, and the numerous Wall families in West Waterford.

Tarzana2

FrKurtFahrt wrote: »

Not forgetting McConalogue, McColgan and Gillespie

And Gillespie is also has a concentration around the Ballina Killalla area of Mayo.

Nidgeweasel

Tarzana2 wrote: »

And Gillespie is also has a concentration around the Ballina Killalla area of Mayo.

Gillespie is mainly Donegal.

Tarzana2

Gremlinertia wrote: »

King, Mannion - Connemara

Yep, Mannion, SUCH a Galway name.

road_high

Expunge wrote: »

And a big shout out at this point to the Cliffes, Mountains and Quarrys of Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.

All related, I believe.


Oh, and the numerous Wall families in West Waterford.

Plenty of Walls about Kk, Carlow, Kildare too.

road_high

Delahunty- Kilkenny/Laois

road_high

Moroney and Moloney- Tipp, Clare and limerick.

Tarzana2

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

Gillespie is mainly Donegal.

If you check out this map, it's maybe not as common in North Mayo as in Donegal but still very, very common. Surnames can be concentrated in more than one region.

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Births&Surname=Gillespie&UserID=

road_high

Brennan, Dowling-Kilkenny, Carlow, Kildare, Laois.

bottlebrush

Phelans and Whelans in Laois

Bradys in Cavan

road_high

bottlebrush wrote: »

Phelans and Whelans in Laois

Bradys in Cavan

Oh yea Phelan big in Kilkenny and Waterford too.

retalivity

O' donnell, boyle in donegal

snowstorm445

O'Donovan, O'Sullivan, Healy, Hayes, Murphy, McCarthy, Twomey, Harrington, Lynch, Kingston - All very common Cork names, particularly West Cork.

Conlon, McCabe and McArdle are relatively common in Louth.

Badly Drunk Boy

Reiver wrote: »

Whats the deal with Reilly and O'Reilly/?

They're mainly in Cavan and surrounding places like Meath and Longford, although nowadays you'll find them spread all over. The highest concentrations are still in Cavan.

chillin117

Where is the Stronghold of the Feuding Joyce's and the Mc Donagh's or are they Nationwide ?

Mars Bar

Kendrick Red Sidearm wrote: »

I have never come across that surname.

Guess that answers my question then! It's a Tribe surname. Pretty common in Galway anyway.

Tarzana2 wrote: »

Yep, Mannion, SUCH a Galway name.

Mannions everywhere!!

road_high

chillin117 wrote: »

Where is the Stronghold of the Feuding Joyce's and the Mc Donagh's or are they Nationwide ?

Both surnames most common in Co Galway I'd say.
The feuding ones, Mullingar?

Lia_lia

Blennerhassett in Kerry.

kingchess

Cadogan is another name around west Cork

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Some strange names around like Parle (SE) and Laski/Laskey (Galway). Im pretty sure I have heard of a Deveroux before aswell.

puckmymuskie

Minogue. Thought it was just Clare but there's a good few in Kilkenny and Tipp too. Still mostly concentrated in 3 counties mainly Clare.

road_high

Lia_lia wrote: »

Blennerhassett in Kerry.

Never heard that one. Heard of Hassett alright in Tipp mainly.

road_high

Aryan Enough Reforestation wrote: »

Some strange names around like Parle (SE) and Laski/Laskey (Galway). Im pretty sure I have heard of a Deveroux before aswell.

Devereux quite a few in Wexford and some in neighbouring counties.

WesternZulu

McHale is a real Mayo name.

bottlebrush

WesternZulu wrote: »

McHale is a real Mayo name.

Also Basquel or Basquille

Grid.

Stafford, Rossiter - Wexford

road_high

McDonald, lots in Wexford. Also Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois there's quite a few.

Furlong-Wexford.

road_high

puckmymuskie wrote: »

Minogue. Thought it was just Clare but there's a good few in Kilkenny and Tipp too. Still mostly concentrated in 3 counties mainly Clare.

Draw a line across from Urlingford to Nenagh to east Clare there's quite a few alright.

sligojoek

Reiver wrote: »

Whats the deal with Reilly and O'Reilly/?

Orally men.

Panthro

Plenty of Fagan MacFlanaganFinnegan O'houlaghan's down our side.
A huer of a spot for the postman come Christmas time God bless 'em.

John Doe1

East Donegal is probably the most protestant area in the republic and thus has names not really found in the lower 25.

Ponsonby
Gamble
Laird
Galbraith
Lecky
Malseed
Orr
Patterson
Roulstone
Starritt
Spence
Wray
Bovaird
Buchanan
Colhoun
Corscadden
Fisher
Spence
Wray

sligojoek

Tarzana2 wrote: »

And Gillespie is also has a concentration around the Ballina Killalla area of Mayo.

Loosely translated, it means servant of the bishop. Common name near cathedrals.

sligojoek

Sorry.
Thought you said Ballina/Killaloe. (Glasses upstairs)

road_high

sligojoek wrote: »

Sorry.
Thought you said Ballina/Killaloe. (Glasses upstairs)

That's where all those Minogues are lol