Irish Family Names.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 14, 3 April 1902, Page 3

Irish Family Names.

Ik a recent issue we gave a list of the counties of Ireland with the leading family names numerically in each county. The following further partioulars regarding the same subject will be of interest : — The list gives an idea of the most common names in each county, but does not necessarily hold good for all Ireland. It contains the four commonest names in Ireland, whioh are Murphy, Smith, Kelly, and Walsh. Some of the families mentioned are restricted largely to the country in whioh they preponderate, such as Sullivan, Power, Doherty, Gallagher, and Quinn. Other names, buch as O'Brien and O'Connor, which are of frequent recurrence in different parts of the county, are not first in any one county. Thus O'Brien takes a high position throughout all what was once Eoghanaoht, beivg second in Limerick, third in Tipperary and Waterford, fourth in Clare, sixth in Dublin, seventh in Wexford, in Wicklow, and in Cork. So, though Kelly ii ahead in most counties, the returns show a slight plurality of persons bearing the name of Murphy for the whole of Ireland. Besides being first in three counties, the Murphyt rank second in Kildare and in Cork, third in Kilkenny, in Wicklow and in Louth, fourth in Kerry, in Waterford, and in Dublin, sixth in

Monaghan and in Longford, eighth in Clare, ninth in Limerick, tenth in Gal way, and take a high place in Mayo, in Fermanagh, and in Queen's County. The Kellys are no less widely spread. Their principal habitation is in Connaught, but they rank high in South Leinster also. They lead in six counties and are second in Dublin and in Louth, third in Derry, in Tyrone, and in Mayo, fourth in Longford, in Wicklow, and in Sligo, sixth in Clare, seventh in Carlow, in Meath, and from ninth to fourteenth place in Wexford, in Waterford, in West Meath, in Monaghan, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Armagh, and in Queen's — 25 out of the 32 counties in Ireland. Smith is a name which ranks high in England and Scotland as well as in Ireland, But it must not be concluded that all, or even most of the Irish bearers of the name are desoended from English and Scottish ancestors, though the preponderance of the name in Ulster might indicate that many of them are. However, most of them have a right (which they may aaßert when more knowledge of the Irish language gets abroad), to the ancient Irish name whioh is variously rendered McGowan, McGugh, etc. At any rate, they are a numerous race, being first in Antrim, second in Cavan, in Down, in Meath, fourth in Louth, fifth in Dublin, sixth in Armagh, seventh in Kildare, ninth in Fermanagh, in Monaghan, and in Longford, tenth in Westmeath. The Irish-Norman family of Walsh is widely diffused throughout the south and west, being first in Mayo, second in Kilkenny and in Waterford, third in Wexford, sixth in Cork and in Limerick, seventh in Galway and in Sligo, eighth in King's and in West meath, tenth in Tipperary. The other names on the list are more localised. Thus the Sullivans, whose large numbers in Cork and in Kerry make them one of the most numerous families in Ireland, rank fourth in Limerick, and drop to twelfth in Waterford. Lynches, who are first in Westmeath and third in Meath, are twelfth in Limerick and in Clare ; the Ryans, or p'Mulryans, are first in their ancient territory in Limerick and in Tipperaay, and are quite numerous in the neighboring counties, being fourth in Kilkenny, fifth in Waterford, seventh in Queen's County, and tenth in Kildare, in Carlow and in Clare ; but the Powers, who are first in Waterford, are thirteenth the neighboring county of Kilkenny ; the Doughertys, who are the most numerous family in Derry and second in Donegal, have comparatively few representatives elsewhere ; and their allied olan, the Gallaghers, are first in Donegal, third in Sligo, and fifth in Tyrone ; the Quinns, though first in Tyrone, fall to eighth in Longford acd tenth in Monaghan and Armagh. The Brennans are first in two widely separated oountiea—Kilkenny and Sligo — they are sixth in Carlow ; the MacMahoni are first in Clare and third in Monaghan, but these are two different clans of the same name. The old ecclesiastical family of the Duffy* is found on the borders of Ulster and in the West, being first in Monaghan, sixth in Louth, in Weatmeath, and in Mayo, eleventh in Meatb, and twelfth in Donegal. The modern Irish family of Thomson are evidently of Scottish ancestry. Besides ranking first iv Down, they are fifth in Antrim and ninth in Fermanagh. The Dunns are a mid-Leinster tribe. They are first in Queen's, second in King's, eecond in Kildare, eighth in Dublin, ninth in Kilkenny, eleventh in Meath and in Wicklow. The eastern portion of Leinster is still largely inhabited by the ancient aept of O'Byrne, who are first in Wicklow, second in Carlow, fourth in Kildare and in Wexford, and sixth in Kilkenny ; while to the north the O'Reillys occupy even, a wider territory than their ancestors owned, being first in Cavan, in Meath, and in Longford, third in Weatmeath, eighth in Louth, and numerous in Leitrim and in Dublin.