Irish Identity

Where your folk
came from

Taaffe Originally a Welsh family whose name means ‘son of David’ who came to Ireland in the 13th century. One branch settled in Connacht and the name is now chiefly associated with Cos. Louth and Sligo.	Tackney Found in Cavan and surrounding and is synonymous with Sexton, but not with Tagney or Taheny.
Taggart One of many variants of a name which in Irish means ‘son of the priest’. Associated with Cos. Fermanagh and Tyrone.	MacTague See McTeigue
Taheny Possibly a variant of Tehan or Teehan.	Tait Variant of Tate, an English surname which arrived in Ulster in the 17th century.
Talbot A Hiberno-Norman family with strong Dublin links since the their arrival in the 12th century. Richard Talbot was installed as Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1687. Matt Talbot, a Dublin docker and reformed alcoholic who died in 1925 was later beatified.	Tallant, Tallent As an English name it is found in Cos. Dublin and Carlow since the 1500s. It may also be a variation on the Irish surname Tallon.
Tallon Originally a Hiberno-Norman family who settled in the Pale. The name is rarely found outside Leinster. Tallonstown is in Co. Louth.	Talty Originated in Co. Clare and found mainly in the west.
Tancred Sometimes synonymous with Tankard, but is derived from the Old-German word for ‘thought counsel’.	Tandy Found in Ireland since the 14th century and is a variation on the name Andrew.
Tankard See Tancred. Rarely found nowadays but more common in medieval times and refers to a maker of Tankard.	Tanner An occupational name of Anglo-Norman origin and found in Ireland since the Middle Ages.
Tansey Originated in Cos. Sligo and north Roscommon and its Irish translation, Mac an Tanáiste means son of the heir or deputy leader.	Tarleton Settled in Co. Offaly after arriving from Liverpool in the early 17th century and rarely found elsewhere.
Tarmey A variation of Tormey found in Connacht.	Tarpey A Connacht surname that originated in Co. Sligo and derived from an Irish word meaning sturdy. In Co. Cork the name became Torpey.
Tarrant Originally an English surname but also adopted by some members of the Ó Toráin family in Co. Cork. See Thornton.	Tarry a variation of Terry.
Tally A rare surname with Fermanagh roots and derived from the Irish word meaning peaceable. See Tilly.	Taugher a variation of Tougher found in Co. Mayo.
Tavey An abbreviation of McAtavy, a Co. Monaghan name probably derived from the Irish word meaning pleasant.	MacTavish A Scottish surname that has in some instances been changed to Thomson or Thompson in Co. Cavan.
Taylor Found in Ireland since the 1300s, this English occupational name is not synonymous with any native Irish surname and is found mainly in Dublin and Ulster.	MacTeague A variation of McTeigue which means son of Tadhg and has other variations in spelling.
Teahan A Co. Kerry surname that may be derived from an Irish word meaning fugitive. Tehan and Teehan are found in Cos. Laois, Tipperary and Kilkenny.	Teeling An Anglo-Norman family that settled in Co. Meath in the late 12th century and remainingCatholic adopted the Irish cause.
MacTeer An abbreviation of McAteer, which is derived from the Irish meaning son of the craftsman	Teevan Its derivation is uncertain, but it originated in Cos. Fermanagh and Monaghan.
MacTigue Derived from the Irish meaning son of Tadhg, it has many variations in spelling including Tighe, McKeigue, McCague.	Terence See Turley, which has in some cases been anglicised as Terence or Terry.
MacTernan, Tiernan Co. Cavan surname derived from the Irish word for lord. See also Roscommon, Leitrim and Fermanagh.	Terry Derived from an Old-German name meaning ‘people rule’, it is an Anglo-Norman associated with the city of Cork since the 1200s. Also an anglicisation of Turley.
Tevlin This surname originated Cavan and north Meath and maybe similar in origin to Shevlin.	Thackaberry A west of England family which settled in Wicklow in the mid-1600s. Also spelt Tackaberry.
Thomas Mainly found in Welsh and Belfast and this English surname is a relatively recent introduction to Ireland. Earlier forms such as MacThomas and FitzThomas may surnames adopted by members of the Fitzgerald family.	Thompson One of the most numerous non-Irish surnames in the country and mainly found in Ulster. Thomson is the Scottish version. See MacTavish.
Thorn An English surname and in some instances an abbreviation of Thornton.	Thornhill An English surname found in Cos. Cork and Limerick. Batt Thornhill was a member of the Cork hurling team which won four All-Ireland titles in-a-row in the 1940s.
Thornton Some people with this surname were Elizabethan planters in Co. Limerick. This English surname is also surname is also synonymous with Drennan, Skehan, Meenagh and Tarrant.	Thunder Found in Cos. Louth and Dublin since the Middle Ages, this surname has Norse roots.
Tierney Originated in Co. Mayo and also has roots in Cos. Donegal and Westmeath and now widely scattered. It is derived from tiarna , the Irish word for lord.	Tighe, Tigue, Teague One of many variants of a name which is derived from the Irish christian name Tadhg. Also synonymous with the English surname Tye, which is also synonymous with the surname Kangley as ceangal is the Irish word for a tie. Tighe is found in north Meath and east Cavan.
Tilly a variant of Tully and possibly of Tally	Timlin Originated in Wales, this family with Norman roots settled in Co. Mayo. The word is derived from a diminutive of Thomas
Timmons The Co. Mayo family of this name take theirs from a diminutive of Thomas and translates into Irish as Mac Toimin while the Co. Wicklow and Carlow families are translated as Ó Toimin.	Timoney Originated in Co. Donegal and in neighbouring parts of Fermanagh, Tyrone and Leitrim and is derived from the Irish word for driver.
Tinney, Tiney, Tyney Variants of McAtinney found in Donegal. McAtinney is a phonetic anglicisation of MacAshinagh , a Co. Armagh surname which means son of the fox. Sionnach being the Irish word for fox.	Tinsley An English surname found mainly in Ulster where it is also synonymous with Townsley.
Tipper An English surname found in Co. Kildare since the early 14th century.	Tivnan a variant of Tynan. See Tynan.
Toal Though the Irish version is the same as that from Toole or O’Toole, this Co. Monaghan family has different roots. See Louth.	Tobin The name adopted by the Norman St. Aubyn family which settled on the Kilkenny-Tipperary border. See Cavan
Tohill Originated in Co. Derry and has a similar derivation and Irish translation as O’Toole.	Tolan, Toland, Toolan Another surname with a similar derivation as O’Toole. Originated in Ulster where Toland is the preferred form. Tolan is the former more commonly found in Co. Mayo.
Toman An east Tyrone name which is found as Tooman in Co. Roscommon.	Tone Derived form an Old-English word meaning enclosure or village, it is not on record in Ireland before the 16th century and has associations with Dublin. The Irish patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone was sentenced to death for his part in the failed 1798 Rebellion but took his own life when his request to be shot by firing squad was refused. Found in Westmeath.
Tonge This English surname is associated with Co. Wexford since the 1600s.	Tonra A form of Toner found in Co. Mayo
Tooher a variant of Tougher	Toohill a form of O’Toole found in south Munster.
Toohy a variation of Tuohy found in parts of Munster.	(O) Toole Originated in Co. Kildare but moved to Wicklow after the Norman invasion and became one of the great Leinster families. Another family of the same name originated in Co. Mayo where they were a branch of the O’Malleys. The name is derived from an Irish word meaning mighty people.
Toomey A form of Twomey found in Co. Limerick.	Toorish A form of the surname Houriskey or Horish. As tuairisc is the Irish for tidings the name became anglicised as Tidings or Tydings.
Toppin, Topping On record in Co. Armagh since the mid-17th century and two centuries earlier in Co. Kilkenny. Possibly a variant of the English surname Turpin.	Tormey Originated in Co. Longford and neighbouring parts of Westmeath and Cavan, its Irish form is derived from a Norse first name. See also Meath.
Torney An Ulster surname found also in part of Cos. Cork and Kerry. The village of Abbeydorney in the latter county takes it name from Torney and not Dorney.	Torpey A west Cork version of the name Tarpey.
Torrens, Torrance An anglicisation of the surname Ó Toráin and also a Latin form of the English surname Brooks in Cos. Derry and Antrim.	Tosh a form of Macintosh found in north east Ulster.
Tottenham The English family arrived in Ireland in the 17th century and settled in Wexford. In 1885 Col. A. L. Tottenham was one of the founder of the Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union which was founded to resist Home Rule and later became the Irish Unionist Alliance.	Tougher, Tooher Originated in south Offaly and is derived from the Irish meaning people dear.
Touhy a rare variation on Tuohy.	Tourish Another form of Toorish.
Towell a form of O’Toole which originated in Co. Waterford.	Towey A Mayo surname derived from the Irish word for chosen. Outside of Connacht it may be another form of Tuohy.
Townley Originated in Lancashire, England and settled in Ireland in the 1500s. Associated with Cos. Dublin, Cavan and Louth where the best known branch resided at Townley Hall, near Drogheda.	Townsend, Townshend An English family that settled in Co. Cork in the mid-1600s and associated with the coastal village of Castletownshend.
Toye A form of Towey found in north Connacht and neighbouring parts of Ulster. There is also an English family of the same name.	Tracey, Treacy Derived from the Irish word meaning war-like and associated with south Leinster. Also Tipperary.
Trant A Co. Kerry surname which predates the arrival of the Normans.	Travers a variation of the Co. Leitrim surname Trower, which is derived from an Irish word meaning skilful.
Traynor, Treanor, Trainor Associated with north Monaghan and derived from the Irish word meaning strong man.	Trench A Huguenot surname found in Ireland since the early 1600s and found in many parts of the country but not numerous. A General Trench was responsible for quelling the 1798 rebellion in Connacht. Richard Chenevix Trench was consecrated Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin in 1864. In 1931, Terry Trench founded An Óige, the Irish hostelling movement. TRENCH has been recorded in Ireland for the last 500 years that we have knowledge about and ours has always been that of Catholic origins not French Huguenot' We have been in Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Galway. The Huguenot Trench' came from London, England and then came to Ireland. James Trench
Trevor An English surname which was also adopted by members of the Trower family. The award-winning author William Trevor was born in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork in May 1928 and his novels include Fools of Fortune, The Old Boys and The Story of Lucy Gault.	Trimble An English surname found in Ulster since the mid-17th century. David Trimble, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party was a signatory to the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998.
Trodden This rare surname originated in Cos. Louth and Monaghan and is also an English surname.	Trohy, Troy Derived from the Irish word meaning surname it originated in Co. Clare and later the family moved to south Tipperary. Troy is a common enough Offaly name.
Trower A rare Co. Leitrim surname that has in many cases been changed to Travers. It is derived from a Irish word meaning skilful.	Truell An upper class family based in Co. Wicklow since the 1600s. Possibly derived from the town of Trowell in Nottinghamshire, but more likely from the French Truelle.
Tubridy A Co. Clare surname derived from the Irish for a ‘well’.	Tucker An old English surname which dates back to the Middle Ages. Also synonymous with Tougher.
Tuffy A rare synonym of Towey.	Tuite A Norman family that settled in Granard, Co. Longford assimilated into the locality and now found mainly in north Leinster.
Tuke An old English name never commonplace but on record in various parts of Leinster since the 1600s. Tooke and Chooke are variants.	Tully Originated on the Cavan-Longford border and derived from the Irish word for flood and anglicised in some instances as Flood. The family were hereditary physicians to both the O¹Connors and the O¹Reillys.
Tumelty, Tomelty The name has its origins in Co. Roscommon and also in parts of Cos. Monaghan, Down and Louth. Thought to be derived from the Irish word for Œbulky¹.	Tumpane A variant of Timpany found in Co. Tipperary. A rare Co. Down surname derived from an Irish word for musician. Tempany, Tenpenny and McAtamney are variants, with the later associated with Co. Derry.
Tunney Originated on the Sligo and Donegal border and also associated with Co. Mayo. Derived from the Irish word tonnach which has several meanings billowy and glittering.	Turk Originally a Scottish name found in Co. Antrim and also a shortened version of Turkington.
Turkington An English name found in Co. Armagh since the 1600s.	Turley Originated in Cos. Armagh and Down and also anglicised as Terry and Terence.
Turner Of both English and Scottish origin and found throughout Ireland since the 1400s.	Tuthill, Tuttle Families of this English name acquired lands in Co. Limerick and other parts of the country since the 1600s.
Tutty Introduced in Cromwellian times and also a synonym of Tuohy.	Twamley An English name found in Co. Wicklow since the late 17th century.
Tweedy A Scottish name found in Ulster since the early 1600s. Spelt Tweedie in Scotland.	Twohig A variant of Tuohy found in Co. Cork.
Twomey, Toomey Well known Munster name spelt Twomey in Cork and Kerry. Toomey is the Limerick version.	Tydings An anglicisation of Tourish. See Toorish.
Tymon Also spelt Timon, which has replaced Timmons in parts of Mayo.	Tynan Originated in Co. Laois, possibly derived from an Irish word meaning dark or grey. In Connacht the name has become Tivnan.
Tyrrell An Anglo-Norman family that settled in Westmeath and gave their name to the village of Tyrellspass.