A formal Irish-language name consists of a given name and a surname. Surnames in Irish are generally patronymic in etymology, although they are no longer literal patronyms, as Icelandic names 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, not used for official purposes but generalised in Gaeltachtaí or Irish-speaking areas, (and also surviving in some rural non-Gaeltacht areas) consists of the first name followed by a double patronym, usually with the father and grandfather's names. Sometimes the name of the mother or grandmother may be used instead of that of the father or grandfather.
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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 junior and senior, 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").
A male's surname generally takes the form Ó/Ua (originally "grandson") or Mac ("son") followed by the genitive case of a name, as in Ó Dónaill ("grandson of Dónall") or Mac Gearailt ("son of Gerald").
A son has the same surname as his father. A female's surname replaces Ó with Ní (reduced from Iníon Uí - "daughter of the grandson of") and Mac with Nic (reduced from Iníon Mhic - "daughter of the son of"); in both cases the following name undergoes lenition. 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 and the daughter of a man named Mac Gearailt has the surname Nic Gearailt. 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 the grandson of") and Mac 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, in which case it is only lenited after Uí). Thus a woman marrying a man named Ó Dónaill may choose to be use Bean Uí Dhónaill or Uí Dhónaill as her surname; a woman marrying a man named Mac Gearailt may choose to use Bean Mhic Gearailt or Mhic Gearailt.
If the second part of the surname begins with a vowel, 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 origin have the prefix Fitz, from Latin filius "son", such as Fitzwilliam, Fitzgerald, and so forth.
| Male | Meaning | Anglicised | Daughter | Wife | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac | son (of) | Mc/Mac | Nic | Mhic | Seán Mac Mathúna, Máire Mhic Mhathúna (wife of Seán), Aoife Nic Mhathúna (daughter of Seán) |
| Ó/Ua | grandson (of) | O' | Ní | Uí | Pól Ó Murchú, Mairéad Uí Mhurchú (wife of Pól), Gráinne Ní Mhurchú (daughter of Pól) |
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 Co. Cavan, Ryan in Co. Tipperary and East Co. Limerick and O'Sullivan in the Beara peninsula of West Cork. In such cases, the surname may also contain an additive in popular usage to differentiate one group bearing the same surname from another.
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 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).
Like the surname, the additive is passed down from father to child. However, if a person becomes well-known by a nickname of his own, his children may take his nickname as an additive. For example, if Tommy Ryan Doc was often referred to as "Badger", his son Patrick might referred to orally as Pat Badger and written as Patrick Ryan (B).
In Gaeltacht (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, followed by the name of the paternal grandfather, also in the genitive. Thus Seán Ó Cathasaigh (Sean 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 where the person would use a standard Irish form in formal circumstances. For example, the prominent sean-nós singer Seán Mac Dhonnchadha is perhaps better known as Johnny Mhairtín Learaí.
This naming system also survives to a certain extent in rural areas outside the existing Gaeltacht. For example, it is still in use in parts of counties Londonderry and Tyrone located in the Sperrins. 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.
This list is incomplete. It includes native surnames, and surnames of foreign origin (for example those that include de or fitz). Anglicized forms are shown in brackets.
Many Irish people use English (or at least anglicised) forms of their names in English-language contexts and Irish forms in Irish-language contexts. The Irish names of some famous people include:
| English/Anglicised name | Irish name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bertie Ahern | Parthalán Ó hEachthiarn | Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008. |
| Thomas Ashe | Tomás Ághas | Gaelic League member |
| Harry Boland | Éinrí Eoin Ó Beólláin | |
| Moya Brennan | Máire Ní Bhraonáin[8] | Irish-language spelling as birth name |
| Turlough Carolan | Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin | Irish harpist and composer |
| Erskine Childers | Earchta Ó Slatiascaigh | (Irish author and patriot, also his son - President of Ireland -, and grandson) |
| Michael Collins (Irish leader) | Mícheál Eoin Ó Coileáin | signed Anglo-Irish treaty with Irish-language name |
| Liam Cosgrave | Liam Mac Cosgair | William(?) Thomas Cosgrave (the son), Taoiseach |
| W. T. Cosgrave | Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair | William Thomas Cosgrave (the father), President of the Executive Council |
| Garret FitzGerald | Gearóid Mac Gearailt | twice Taoiseach |
| Arthur Griffith | Art Ó Gríobhtha | Gaelic League member; bilingual signature on Anglo-Irish Treaty |
| Patsy O'Hara | Peatsaí Ó hEadhra | |
| Charles Haughey | Cathal Ó hEochaidh | three times Taoiseach |
| Douglas Hyde | Dubhghlas de hÍde | 1st President of Ireland; CnaG founder |
| John Fitzgerald Kennedy | Seán Mac Gearailt Ó Cinnéide[9] | |
| Kitty Kiernan | Caitríona Nic Thiarnáin | fiance of Michael Collins (Irish leader) |
| Jack Lynch | Seán Ó Loingsigh | twice Taoiseach |
| Mary McAleese | Máire Mhic Ghiolla Íosa | née Mary Leneghan/Máire Ní Lionnacháin |
| Liam Mellows | Liam Ó Maoilíosa[10] | |
| Thomas Mooney | Tomás/Tomaltach Seosamh Ó'Maonaigh | Labor Leader |
| Richard Mulcahy | Risteárd Ó Maolchatha[10] | |
| Dennis O'Brien (policeman) | Denis Ó Briain | |
| Kevin O'Higgins | Caoimhín Ó hUiginn | Minister of Justice and Vice-President; not to be confused with the more recent official also in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform |
| Seán T. O'Kelly | Seán T. Ó Ceallaigh[11] | Vice-President, first Tánaiste, President of Ireland |
| Francis O'Neill | Proinsias Ó Néill | |
| Thomas Francis O'Rahilly | Tomás Phroinsias Ó Rathaille[12] | scholar of Celtic language and culture; sometimes also "Rahilly" or "Rahily" |
| Joseph O'Sullivan | Seosamh Ó Súilleabháin | (likely very common name) |
| Patrick Pearse | Pádraig Mac Piarais | CnaG; An Claidheamh Soluis editor; St. Enda's School founder |
| Joseph Mary Plunkett | Seosamh Máire Pluincéad | Gaelic League member; an Easter Uprising leader |
| John Edward Redmond | Seán Éamonn Mac Réamainn | |
| Albert Reynolds | Ailbhe Mac Raghnaill | Taoiseach |
| Mary Robinson | Máire Bean Mhic Róibín | (née Máire de Búrca) |
| Robert Gerard Sands | Roibeárd Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh | |
| Austin Stack | Aibhistín de Staic | |
| Gerard Toal | Gearóid Ó Tuathail[13] |
Other people are better known by their Irish name than by their English name:
| Irish (Gaelic) name | English/Anglicised form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh | Dudley Forbes | though neither Dubhaltach or Fibrisigh correspond to the Anglicised forms |
| Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh | Roderick O'Flaherty | |
| Flaithrí Ó Maolconaire | Florence Conry | (1560–1629, Archbishop of Tuam) |
| Gráinne Ní Mháille | Grace O'Malley | many other Irish-language and English-language respellings of her name also exist |
| Seán Bán Breathnach | "White" John Walsh | |
| Séamus Ó Grianna | James Greene | though Grianna does not correspond etymologically to the English name "Green" or "Greene" |
| Gráinne Seoige | Grace Joyce | |
| Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin | Ellen Cullen | |
| Antoine Ó Raifteiri | Anthony Raftery | |
| Proinsias De Rossa | Frank Ross | |
| Pádraig Harrington | Patrick Harrington | |
| Pádraig Ó Riain | Patrick Ryan | |
| Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha | Patrick O'Sugrue | |
| Padraig Ó Síocháin | P. A. Sheehan | |
| Pádraig Ó Fiannachta | Patrick Finnerty | |
| Lorcan Ua Tuathail | Laurence O'Toole | |
| Dara Ó Briain | Darragh O'Brien | |
| Doireann Ní Bhriain | Doreen O'Brien | |
| Cathal Brugha | Charles William St. John Burgess | |
| Éamon de Valera | Edward De Valero |
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