A list of Irish surnames beginning with the letters E and G
Egan
Variant: Keegan, MacEgan
In Irish: Ó Aodhagáin
Found in: Tipperary, Kilkenny, Offaly
Origin: Gaelic
Means “son of Aodh or Hugh”
Fagan
Variant: O’Hagan, Fegan, O’Hogan
In Irish: Ó Faodhagain
Found in: Dublin, Kerry
Origin: Gaelic
Means “little Hugh”.
Fahy
Variant: Fahey, Faghy, Green
In Irish: Ó Fathaigh
Found in: Widespread, Galway, Tipperary
Origin: Gaelic
Means “field green”
Fallon
Variant: Falloon
In Irish: Ó Fallamhain
Found in: Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Wexford
Origin: Gaelic
Means “ruler”
Farrell
Variant: More O’Ferrall. More, O’Ferrall
Origin: Gaelic
From fear ghal meaning “brave man”
FitzGerald
Variant: Desmond, Gerald
In Irish: Mac Gearailt
Origin: Norman
fitz means “son”. The Earls of Desmond were FitzGeralds. The family originated in Italy, near Florence.
Fitzpatrick
Variant: Kilpatrick, MacGillapatrick
In Irish: MacGiolla Padraig
Found in: Widespread, Laois
Origin: Gaelic
Means “servant of St. Patrick”, and unlike other ‘Fitz’ surnames is Irish, not Norman.
Flanagan
Variant: O’Flannagan
In Irish: Ó Flannagain,
Found in: Fermanagh, Offaly, Roscommon.
Origin: Gaelic
Means “red”.
Flynn
Variant: O’Flynn, Flinn, O’Loinn, O’Lynn
In Irish: Ó Floinn
Found in: Antrim, Cork, Roscommon.
Origin: Gaelic
Means “red or ruddy”, same derivation as Flanaghan.
Fogarty
In Irish: Ó Fogartaigh
Found in: Tipperary
Origin: Gaelic
Means “exiled or banished”.
Foley
In Irish: Ó Foghladha
Found in: Munster, Waterford.
Origin: Gaelic
Means “plunderer”.
Friel
In Irish: Ó Frighil
Found in: Donegal, Ulster
Origin: Gaelic
From fear ghal meaning “brave man”, same derivation as Farrell
Gaffney
Variant: Caulfield
In Irish: Ó Gamhna
Found in: Coonaught
Origin: Gaelic
Means “calf”.
Gallagher
In Irish: Ó Gallchobhair.
Found in: Donegal
Origin: Gaelic
Means “foreign help”
Galvin, Gallivan
Origin: Gaelic
Ó Gealbháin, “bright white”. Kerry, Roscommon.
Garvey
Origin: Gaelic
O Gairbith or Mac Gairbhith, “rough peace”. Armagh, Donegal, Down, Kilkenny.
Geraghty
Variant: Garrity, Gerity, Gerritty & many similar.
In Irish: Ó Oireachtaigh
Found in: Galway, Roscommon
Origin: Gaelic
Means “court or assembly”
Gilday
Variant: Gildea
In Irish: Mac Giolla Dhé
Found in: Clare
Origin: Gaelic
Means “the son of the follower of God.”
Griffin (1)
In Irish: Ó Gríobhtha, Ó Gríofa
Found in: Kerry, Clare
Origin: Gaelic
Gaelic version is derived from a nickname which meant “Brave Warrior”. Most Clare Griffons descend from Angus, Son of Dal a 4th century chieftain.
Griffin (2)
Variant: Griffith, Griffiths, Griffis
In Irish: Ó Gríobhtha, Ó Gríofa
Found in: Widespread but not common
Origin: Norman
Welsh-Norman planters who changed their name to Griffin after arriving in Ireland
Guinness
Variant: McGennis, MacGinnis, Magennis, McGuiness, MacGuinness, MacInnis
In Irish: MacAonghusa
Found in: Widespread
Origin: Gaelic
Means “son of Aonghus” a 5th century. chief of Dal Araidhe.
8 Comments
My father – born 1910 – used to say that Foley (his mother’s family name) meant “robber or plunderer” – as you have it – BUT he held that it would therefore have been a Viking or Norse name. He was born in West/Mid Cork and had a few references to Vikings in his normal speech (English). On a very cold day, for example, he would say: “it would skin the Danes”.
Meiler Fitzhenry Great Grandson of William I of England (William the Conqueror, William of Normandy), Grandson of Henry I, and cousin or brother of several other famous Normans and who entered Ireland with Robert FitzStephen in 1169 He returned in 1173 with Richard de Clare (Strongbow) throwing Ireland into revolt. He was granted huge estates throughout Ireland including Offaly, Carbury, Kildare, Limerick and later Leix. Eventually were added estates in Kerry and Cork. He was Lord Chief Justice of Ireland for many years, and founded the monastery of Great Connell Priory in Kildare.
With such prominence of effect on the formation of modern Ireland post the English invasion, I was wondering how an Irish name such as Fitzhenry (Fitzhenry) does not appear on a list of Irish surnames?
Send me the spelling for Farrell in Irish and Highland Gaelic to the email address “paddymac.em@gmail.com”
Please send me the Irish,and Scottish spelling for the surname Farrell in Gaelic.
FORAN is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic (Irish) name ‘O’Fuarthain, O’Fuarain’, meaning ‘descendant of Fuar(th)an’, a personal name believed to be derived from the Gaelic ‘fuar’, cold. The name was first Anglicized as O’Forhane and Forahan, these forms being used mostly in County Kerry and West Cork. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of O Foirtchern, which was dated 1175, Annals of the Four Masters, during the reign of Rory O’Connor, High King of Ireland, 1166-1175. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to “develop” often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
The surname Ó Oireachtaigh, is always found as MagOireachtaigh which means “of the assembly or committie. I have never came across the O’ version in old manuscripts? The Mag is just Mac ‘son of’ but because of Mac in the Irish language preceeding a vowel the C becomes a G.
FEE
Fee numerous: Ulster, particulary Tyrone. Also in Louth, Longford, Leitrim. Ir. Ó Fiaich, from fiach, a raven – but a common personal name. An erenagh family of Fermanagh. The name occurs as Foy and even Hunt by mistranslation.
MacFee rare: Down etc. Ir. Mac Dhuibhshíth. See Mahaffy.
MacPhee Very rare: Belfast. Ir. Mac Dhuibhshíth, “dark man of peace” or, perhaps, “dark fairy”. A Scots clan of Colonsay, some of whom settled in Antrim 16 cent. See also Mahaffy. SGG.
O’Fee rare: Ulster. Ir. Ó Fiaich, perhaps from first name Fiach, raven.
Hi,
Here is some info on the Irish surname Ray,in case it is not already mentioned.
Ray
Rea,Wray,Ravey,Reavey
Gaelic = Ó Riabhaigh
Meaning = descendant of the Riabhach.The Gaelic word “riabhach” means striped,streaked,grey or brindled.
Is Mise le meas,
Séasán Ó Riabhaigh
(Jason Ray)