How do you no if you have an irish last name if it dosent start with Mc Mac or O?

Question

Hi i wanted to no how do you tell if you have an irish last name if it does not start with Mac Mc or O . Like hogan or Carney? Are the ones with the last name that start with Mac Mc or O more irish or does it mean something when it does or does not have it?

Answer 1

Here is a list of Irish family names.

Answer 2

I googled "Irish surnames" and found this site.  I do believe it will be a help to you.

I am part Irish, part Welsh, part Scottish, etc., etc., so it is of interest to me also.

http://www.ireland-information.com/heral...

Answer 3

Research can tell you if you have an Irish name.  We have Irish in our line, but not one "Mac" "Mc" or "O."

Answer 4

Trace your paternal ancestors. Sooner or later you'll come to the immigrant ancestor - the one who came to the USA on a ship, tired, huddled and yearning to be free. (Free of the English, at least. He may have wanted to keep his wife.) Look at his birthplace. If it is Ireland, you are Irish. If not, you are not.

Answer 5

Mac and O simply indicate 'son of'....So MacHenry was the son of Henry.  There are thousands of Irish names without an Mac, Mc or O.  In the days before surnames (last names), people were often referred to by their trade, hence names like Fletcher (makes arrows) or Baker (the village baker).

TO NUTHINGUSEFULLEARNEDIN....That's a great link! I've bookmarked it for our genealogy research!

Answer 6

All Irish names have the Irish (or Gaelic, if you like) version and the anglicised version.  The Irish version is the actual name, and can have several different versions in English.  All Irish (Gaelic) names have either Ó or Mac in them, but not all the anglicisations retain these.  For example, the Irish name Ó Cearnaigh has as its English versions: Kearney, O'Kearney, or Carney.   Or, as another example, the name Mac Aodha has the English versions: Hughes, Hewson, McKay, McKee and McCoy.

The only way you'll know for definite where your ancestors came from is to research them.

Answer 7

Some persons down the line have dropped the Mac, Mc, Fitz and O.  Mac, Mc and Fitz mean son of.  O means descendant of or like I have seen stated grandson of.  Many Irish names don't have those prefixes.  A priest once said a lot of people dropped them to disguise their names over the centuries when they were fighting for Irish independence.