Byrne

Byrne (variations: Byrnes, O'Byrne, O'Byrnes, Burns, Beirne, Bourne) meaning 'raven', is derived from the Irish name Ó Broin, and is the seventh most common surname in Ireland today.

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History

In Gaelic, 'Byrne' means "descendant of Bran". The name has been traced back to the ancient Celtic chieftain, Bran Mac Maolmòrrdha, King of Leinster, deposed in 1018,[1] (d. 1052), who belonged to the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty. Along with King Conn of the Hundred Battles, he was descended from Cathair Mor, an earlier king of Leinster, who was also monarch of all Ireland around 200 AD. The clan's motto is the Latin phrase Certavi et Vici which means "I have fought and conquered". The O'Byrnes are close cousins of the O'Tooles.

In pre-Norman times, the O'Byrnes and the O'Tooles, then respectively known as the Ul FhaelIin and Uí Muireadaig septs, inhabited the rich Kildare plains.' With the progress of the Anglo-Norman conquest, these septs were compelled to migrate to the poorer lands and the mountainous country eastwards, appropriating the lands of ancient tribes who occupied this region, later to be denominated as the county of Wicklow.[2]

Some of the first settlers of this name in America were: Dinnis Byrne, who settled in Barbados in 1679; Adam O'Byrne, who settled in Jamaica in 1734; James and Patrick O'Byrne, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1806.

People

Other uses

Further reading

See also

References

  1. ^ THE BYRNES OF BALLYMANUS by CONOR O'BRIEN
  2. ^ THE BYRNES OF BALLYMANUS by CONOR O'BRIEN