Irish Surname Study - 1890 & 1990

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Ireland
Surname/tag: Ireland, surnames, one name studies

Contents 1 Irish Surnames Study 2 Origin of Surnames 3 Ten Most Common Surnames in Ireland 1890 4 Ten Most Common Surnames in Ireland 1992-97 5 Most Common British Surnames in Ireland 1992-97 6 One-hundred Most Common Surnames in Ireland 1992-97

Irish Surnames Study

The following is a summary of the results from an Irish surname study performed by Sean J. Murphy based on previous studies and Irish telephone directories from the 1990s. Although the Gardner/Gardiner surname doesn’t appear in the top 100 surnames list, the information may be of use or interest for intermarriages.

• Murphy, Sean J., “A Study of Irish Surnames 1992-97,” Studies in Irish Genealogy and Heraldry, Windgates, County Wicklow, 2009-14, pages 14-29, https://www.academia.edu/9204227/A_Survey_of_Irish_Surnames_1992_97 (accessed 18 Oct 2022).

Origin of Surnames

• A surname may be defined as an hereditary second or family name handed down from one generation to the next, and it can be distinguished from the first or personal name which refers only to the individual.
• While it was the norm in Europe in the 11th century that people were without surnames, by the 15th century it was the norm that they did possess them.
• While Ireland has been perceived as insular and generally slow to adapt to European trends, it was one of the earliest countries to adopt surnames, the principal period of second name formation being the 11th and 12th centuries.
• The Irish had from a remote period a system of collective or ‘people-names’. These names were used in the plural and referred to the whole population group, or probably more accurately to its ruling dynastic elite or aristocracy.
• Given the high profile of Irish ‘clans’, it is worthwhile noting that MacLysaght (citation) specifically stated that he avoided the term ‘clan’, because ‘its use might imply the existence in Ireland of a clan system like that so highly developed in Scotland, which in fact we never had in this country’. MacLysaght instead used the term ‘sept’, defined as ‘a collective term describing a group of persons who, or whose immediate and known ancestors, bore a common surname and inhabited the same locality’.
• The process by which fixed surnames came into use in Ireland was… gradual and unplanned… it was an evolutionary process in response to societal changes.
• Another characteristic of Gaelic Irish surnames is that the great majority are patronymic, that is, derived from named ancestors and prefixed by O’ or Mac, as surnames derived directly from places, occupations or nicknames are relatively uncommon.
• It is vital for the genealogist to be aware of the possible variants of a surname, in order to avoid missing crucial entries during research. The first reason for variations in the spelling of Irish surnames is the fact that the bulk of them are of Gaelic origin, and their translation into English was not performed in a standardized manner. The process of anglicisation of surnames did not always proceed in a predictable or logical fashion…

Ten Most Common Surnames in Ireland 1890

Rank	Surname	Est. 1890 Pop.(k)	% of Total*
1	Murphy	62.6	1.29
2	Kelly	55.9	1.19
3	Sullivan	43.6	0.92
4	Walsh	41.7	0.89
5	Smith	33.7	0.71
6	O’Brien	33.4	0.71
7	Byrne	33.3	0.71
8	Ryan	32.0	0.68
9	Connor	31.2	0.66
10	O’Neill	29.1	0.62

• Estimated population of Ireland in 1890: 4.7 million.

Ten Most Common Surnames in Ireland 1992-97

Rank	Surname	Est. Pop.(k)	% of Total*
1	Murphy	70.9	1.35
2	(O)Kelly	59.8	1.13
3	Walsh(e)	44.1	0.84
4	(O)Connor	43.0	0.81
5	(O)Sullivan	41.5	0.79
6	(O)Byrne	41.3	0.78
7	(O)Brien	39.7	0.75
8	Ryan	39.2	0.74
9	Smith/Smyth	38.8	0.74
10	(O)Neill	35.0	0.66

• Estimated mean population of Ireland 1992-97: 5.3 million.

Most Common British Surnames in Ireland 1992-97

Overall Rank	Surname	Est. Pop.(k)	% of Total*
9	Smith	38.8	0.74
14	Brown	24.6	0.47
15	Murray	24.3	0.46
22	Moore	20.8	0.39
24	Johnston	19.5	0.37
25	Campbell	19.2	0.36
27	Clarke	19.0	0.36
28	Wilson	18.5	0.35
29	Dunne	18.4	0.35
32	Martin	17.8	0.34

One-hundred Most Common Surnames in Ireland 1992-97

Rank	Surname (% var)	Est. Bearers	% of Total*
1	Murphy	70.9	1.35
2	Kelly 97, O’Kelly 3	59.8	1.13
3	Walsh 94, Walshe 6	44.1	0.84
4	O’Connor 89, Connor 9, Connors 2	43.0	0.81
5	O’Sullivan 89, Sullivan 11	41.5	0.79
6	Byrne 95, O’Byrne 5	41.3	0.78
7	O’Brien 98, Brien 2	39.7	0.75
8	Ryan	39.2	0.74
9	Smith 52, Smyth 48	38.8	0.74
10	O’Neill 92, Neill 8	35.0	0.66
11	O’Reilly 61, Reilly 39	29.4	0.56
12	M(a)cCarthy 97, Carthy 3	26.2	0.50
13	Doyle	26.1	0.50
14	Brown 56, Browne 44	24.6	0.47
15	Murray	24.3	0.46
16	Doherty 85, O’Doherty 12, Dougherty 3	23.9	0.45
17	Burke 80, Bourke 20	22.9	0.44
18	Lynch	22.7	0.43
19	M(a)cLaughlin 51, 3 others 49	21.6	0.41
20	Quinn 99, Quin 1	21.5	0.41
21	Kennedy	21.2	0.40
22	Moore	20.8	0.39
23	Gallagher	20.1	0.38
24	Johnston 86, Johnson 12, Johnstone 2	19.5	0.37
25	Campbell	19.2	0.36
26	Brennan	19.1	0.36
27	Clarke 95, Clark 5	19.0	0.36
28	Wilson	18.5	0.35
29	Dunne 92, Dunn 8	18.4	0.35
30	Daly 99, O’Daly 1	18.2	0.35
31	O’Connell 88, Connell 12	18.0	0.34
32	Martin	17.8	0.34
33	Whelan 64, Phelan 36	17.7	0.33
34	Flynn 84, O’Flynn 16	17.4	0.33
35	M(a)cMahon 71, Mahon 29	17.3	0.33
36	Farrell 86, O’Farrell 14	17.1	0.32
37	Carroll 85, O’Carroll 15	17.0	0.32
38	Collins	16.3	0.31
39	Nolan 99, O’Nolan 1	16.3	0.31
40	Connolly	16.2	0.31
41	O’Donoghue 53, +5 others 47	15.9	0.30
42	Thompson 97, Thomson 3	15.8	0.30
43	Fitzgerald	15.5	0.29
44	Hughes	15.4	0.29
45	Maguire 85, M(a)cGuire 15	15.4	0.29
46	O’Donnell 98, Donnell 2	14.6	0.28
47	White 81, Whyte 19	14.5	0.28
48	M(a)cGrath 99, Magrath 1	14.5	0.28
49	Duffy 99, O’Duffy 1	14.3	0.27
50	Kavanagh 93, Cavanagh 7	14.1	0.27
51	M(a)cCormack 64, M(a)cCormick 34, Cormack 2	13.9	0.26
52	O’Mahony 75, Mahony 14, O’Mahoney 7, Mahoney 4	13.7	0.26
53	Power	13.6	0.26
54	O'Callaghan 70, Callaghan 30	13.6	0.26
55	Stewart 91, Stuart 9	13.4	0.25
56	Sweeney 74, M(a)cSweeney 26	13.2	0.25
57	Boyle 83, O’Boyle 17	13.1	0.25
58	O’Shea 98, Shea 2	13.0	0.25
59	Brady	12.9	0.25
60	Fitzpatrick 96, Patrick 4	12.7	0.24
61	Healy	12.6	0.24
62	Donnelly	12.4	0.23
63	O’Donovan 76, Donovan 24	12.2	0.23
64	O'Leary 99, Leary 1	12.1	0.23
65	M(a)cKenna 93, Kenna 7	12.1	0.23
66	Hayes	12.1	0.23
67	Robinson	12.0	0.23
68	Graham	12.0	0.23
69	Kenny	11.8	0.22
70	Keane 99, O’Keane 1	11.8	0.22
71	Cunningham	11.5	0.22
72	Barry	11.4	0.22
73	Moran	11.3	0.21
74	Kane 59, O’Kane 41	11.3	0.21
75	Casey	11.2	0.21
76	M(a)cDonnell 97, Donnell 3	10.8	0.21
77	Hamilton	10.6	0.20
78	Keogh 65, Kehoe 31, McKeogh 4	10.5	0.20
79	Foley	10.5	0.20
80	Buckley	10.4	0.20
81	O’Keeffe 95, O’Keefe 5	10.4	0.20
82	Ward	10.1	0.19
83	M(a)cDonald 95, Donald 5	11.3	0.21
84	Mullan 46, Mullen 41, Mullin 12, O’Mullan 1	10.0	0.19
85	Reid 96, Read 2, Reed 2	10.0	0.19
86	M(a)cCann	9.9	0.19
87	Curran	9.9	0.19
88	Scott	9.6	0.18
89	Roche	9.6	0.18
90	Maher	9.5	0.18
91	Griffin 98, Griffen 2	9.5	0.18
92	Bell	9.5	0.18
93	Sheehan 85, Sheahan 15	9.5	0.18
94	O’Dwyer 64, Dwyer 36	9.5	0.18
95	Moloney 73, Maloney 23, Molony 4	9.4	0.18
96	Magee 66, M(a)cGee 34	9.3	0.18
97	Higgins 96, O’Higgins 4	9.3	0.18
98	M(a)cKeown 74, M(a)cKeon 21, Keown 5	9.2	0.18
99	Cullen	9.2	0.18
100	Lyons	9.2	0.17