Irish Identity

Where your folk
came from

Waddell An English family that settled in Ulster in the 17th century.	Wadding An Anglo-Norman family that settled in Co. Wexford and the Franciscan scholar Fr. Luke Wadding (d. 1657 aged 69) was a member of the Waterford branch.
Waddock A variant of Vaddock, who were a branch of the MacMurroughs.	Wade In Ireland since the 13th century and derived from the Old-English word meaning to go and the Norman-French word for a ford.
Weafer Found mainly in Co. Wexford and arrived in Ireland in the 13th century. Derived from the Old-English meaning a maker of communion wafers and not weaver.	Waldron In Connacht the Waldrons were a branch of the Costello family. It was also a name assumed by members of the Wellesley family.
Walker Derived from the Old-English word fuller, a rounded or grooved tool on which iron is shaped. A rare surname in medieval Ireland, it is numerous in north-east Ulster and Dublin.	Wall Derived from the Norman de Valle which in Irish became de Bhál. Its Irish roots are in Limerick and Waterford.
Wallace A Scottish clan but derived from the Norman meaning Welshman and sometimes synonymous with Walsh. Wallis is a variant.	Waller An English surname found in Cos. Limerick and Tipperary since the English republican Sir Hardress Waller settled there in the mid-17th century. He was appointed governor of Limerick in 1651.
Walpole A Norfolk surname prominent in Co. Laois in the 1700s, but on record in Ireland before that.	Walsh Derived from the Irish word meaning man from Wales, sometimes suggesting foreigner or stranger. The name was given independently to many unconnected families in different parts of the country. It is the fourth most common surname in Ireland and has been re-anglicized in some cases as Brannagh, Brannick and Brennock. Sometimes spelt Welsh and thus pronounced in parts of Munster and Connacht.
(Mac) Walter A branch of the Burke family from Connacht. Changed to Qualter in parts of the province.	Walton An English surname found in different parts of Ireland since the 13th century.
Warburton The surname of an English family that settled in Co. Offaly. It was also the surname adopted by a blind Co. Tyrone harper called Mongan, whose son became Church of Ireland bishop of Limerick in the early 19th century.	Ward A Donegal and Galway surname meaning son of the bard. Ward is also an English surname.
Ware Of English origin and two families of this name settled in Cork and Dublin in the 1500s. The noted antiquary Sir James Ware died in December 1666.	Waring Found in Ireland since the end of the 13th century, first in Co. Meath and later in Cos. Kilkenny and Down.
Warke An English surname associated with Cos. Donegal and Derry since the mid-1600s.	Warner Found in Co. Cork since the mid-1600s, this English surname has Old-French roots.
Warnock This old Co. Down surname derived from the Irish Mac Giolla Mhearnóg meaning a follower of St. Mearnog. First anglicised as MacGillavearnoge.	Warren The name of a family that settled in the Pale that has French roots. There is a town land in Co. Meath called Warrenstown.
Waters, Watters The name of English settler families derived from the word water and Walter. The Irish surname is synonymous with a number of native family names such as Hiskey, Whoriskey and Toorish.	Watkins An English surname derived from a diminutive of Walter. Most of this name arrived in the 1600s.
Watson Numerous in Cos. Antrim and Down, it is of both English and Scottish origin with the former derived from son of Wat (a diminutive of Walter) and the latter originally MacWhatty, MacWatt or MacQuatt.	Watt Another name found mainly in north east Ulster which is also a diminutive of Walter.
Waugh Originated on the Scotland-England border and is derived from an Old English word for foreigner. First arrived in Ireland in the mid-1600s and found in small numbers throughout the country.	Webb An English surname found in Ireland since the 17th century. Found mainly in Dublin and Belfast and in smaller numbers throughout Leinster.
Webster An English surname found in Ireland since the mid-1600s and derived from the word weaver.	MacWeeney Originally a Co. Roscommon surname derived from the word maonach which means wealth and dumb.
Weir The Irish surname is derived from the word for steward and originated in Co. Armagh. Scottish families of this name settled during the Plantation of Ulster.	Welby Found mainly in Connemara, Co. Galway and also recorded in Ulster in the mid-17th century.
Weldon The Irish family of this name originated in Co. Fermanagh and their name may also have been anglicised as Meldon or even Muldoon. Also the name of a family that settled in the Pale in the 1300s, some of whom are known as Veldon and Belton.	Wellesley Established in Ireland as far back as the 12th century and some became hibernicized. Others such as the family of the famous Duke of Wellington, Richard Wellesley did not. Sometimes synonymous with Wesley.
Wells An English surname found mainly in north east Ulster, but also recorded in Munster and Leinster as far back as the early 1200s.	Weston Originally an Anglo-Norman surname but also that of settler families during the Plantation of Ulster.
MacWey Variant of MacQuey which is a Scottish form of MacKay	Weymes, Wymes Scottish surname found in Leinster as far back as the 1300s. Wims, Wyms and Wymbs are variants found in parts of Connacht.
Wharton Two distinct surnames of this name found in Ireland, with the latter possibly an anglicisation of Ó hArrachtáin, which is also translated as Harrington. Faughton is synonymous with Wharton in Co. Kerry.	Whearty Originated in Co. Mayo and derived from an Irish word meaning noisy. Also found in Cos. Louth and Westmeath.
Wheeler This English occupational name is on record in Ireland since the 17th century when John Wheeler was dean of Christchurch. The surname was prominent among the upper classes in both Cos. Laois and Kilkenny. A Catholic family of this name in the latter county suffered heavily under Cromwell.	Whelan a form of the surname Phelan and derived from the Irish word for wolf. Originated in Cos. Tipperary, Waterfordand Wexford. Sometimes an abbreviation of Whelehan.
Whelehan A Co. Westmeath surname possibly derived from an Irish word meaning joyful.	Whelton A common west Cork surname which is possibly a form Houlahan, which itself is derived from the Irish word meaning proud.
MacWhinney a form of the Co. Antrim surname Mawhinney.	MacWhirter Derived from the Scots Gaelic meaning son of the harper and found mainly in Cos. Armagh and Down.
MacWhiston a form of the surname McCutcheon.	Whitaker Formerly Whiteacre and found in Cos. Louth and Meath since the 1300s.
White An English surname scattered throughout the four provinces since the 14th century. However, most Irish Whites went through the angelicisation process. In Cos. Down and Sligo it replaced Bane, Bawn, Kilbane and even Galligan by translation of the Irish bán meaning white and geal meaning bright.	MacWhite Variant of MacWhitty and MacQuitty.
Whitehead, Whitelock In Ireland mistaken translations of the Galway surname Canavan.	Whiteside One of many English surname introduced into Ulster during the 17th century. In 1982 the Northern Ireland soccer international Norman Whiteside became the youngest player to play in the World Cup Finals.
Whitmore An English surname associated with Dublin and Co. Wexford since the 1600s.	Whitney Derived from an English placename this rare surname has been found of parts of Leinster since the 1300s.
Whittle This English surname is on record in Co. Waterford since the middle of the 17th century and later in adjoining counties.	Whitten Recorded in Dublin the late 16th century and formerly Whitton, it is also associated with Co. Armagh and neighbouring Ulster counties.
Whitty Associated with Co. Wexford since the 1200s, an Old-English surname that was originally Whitey	MacWhitty A variant of MacWhite.
Whooley, Wholey Possibly derived from the Irish word meaning boastful, it is associated with members of the O¹Driscoll family in west Cork and not synonymous with Howley.	Whoriskey The name has been translated into Waters and Watters in Co. Donegal. See. Waters and Houriskey.
Wickham Associated with Dublin and Co. Wexford and for the most part with the Irish cause, though one person of that name was a Cromwellian official and William Wickham was appointed Chief Secretary in 1802. On record as Wycomb as far back as the 14th century.	Wickstead a variant of Wixted.
MacWiggin, Wigan Variants of McGuigan.	Wiggins Another variant of MacWiggin associated with Co. Fermanagh. Also a surname of English and Breton origin.
Wilde This famous family didn¹t settle in Ireland until the early 1700s. The poet and dramatist Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is the best known but his mother published Ancient Legends of Ireland in 1887, while his father, Sir William Wilde was an eminent surgeon and scholar, who produced the first scientific work on the surgery of the ear and Catalogue of the Contents of the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy.	Wiley a variant of Wylie.
Wilkinson An English surname introduced into Ulster in the mid-17th century.	Williams A Welsh surname found in all four provinces but not synonymous with any native surname.
MacWilliam(s) A north Ulster surname and a branch of the Scottish McFarlane clan. Synonymous with McQuillan in Co. Down.	Williamson This Scottish surname is found mainly in Ulster
Willis Found mainly in Ulster since the 17th century this surname has both English and Scottish roots	Willmore Recorded in Tyrone as far back as the 1400s.
Wilmot An upper class English family that settled in Ireland in the late 1500s, with one branch later moving to Co. Kerry.	Wilson Found mainly in Ulster it is the most common English surname in Ireland.
Wims A variant of Weymes.	Windle This English surname became established in Co. Limerick in the late 1600s and is derived from ³wind hill².
MacWiney Found Co. Leitrim, it is a form of McWeeney.	Winston Prominent in Co. Waterford in the 1600s having arrived there a century earlier. Another family of that name had connections with Co. Roscommon.
Winters An English surname also synonymous with the Co. Tyrone surname, McAlivery which is derived from the Irish word for winter.	Wise, Wyse The family settled in Co. Waterford at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion o the late 12th century. Sir Thomas Wyse (d. 1862 aged 71) was a politician and advocate of Catholic Emancipation. A century earlier another Thomas Wyse was a co-founder of the Catholic Committee in Dublin.
Wiseman This English name arrived in Ireland in the 1500s and according to MacLysaght it is associated with Co. Cork	Wixted, Wickstead English surname associated with parts of Cos. Offaly and Tipperary since the mid-1600s.
Wogan Derived from the Welsh meaning frown, the family settled in Co. Kildare in the late 13th century. The broadcaster Terry Wogan made his name in his native country before moving to Britain in the early 1970s.	Wolfe, Woulfe Part of the earliest Norman influx into Ireland and settled mainly in Cos. Limerick and Kildare. Wooley, but not Whooley, is reckoned by some to be synonymous with Woulfe.
Wolohan, Woolahan Variants of Holohan found in Cos. Kilkenny and Wicklow.	Wood An English surname distinct from the more numerous Woods.
Woodcock An English surname found in Co. Cork in pre-Cromwellian times when it was introduced into Co. Kilkenny.	Woodlock A rare English surname first recorded in Ireland in the 12th century and associated with Cos. Dublin and Waterford.
Woodman Of Norman origin this occupational name was found in Co. Louth as far back as the 14th century.	Woods A very common surname throughout Ireland with some families being of English origin. Because of the Irish word coill meaning wood it is also an anglicisation of surname such as MacIlhoyle, MacEnhill, Quilty, Quill and Quilly. See Louth and Tyrone
Wooley Synonymous with Woulfe, but distinct from Whooley.	Worth a rare English surname derived from the Old-English word for homestead.
Wrafter A variant spelling of Rafter.	Wray Elizabethan English settlers in Ulster and sometimes synonymous with McCrea and Rea.
Wrenn This English name is sometimes synonymous with Ring and Rynne.	Wright An English surname found mainly in Ulster but also in Dublin.
Wrynn, Wrynne Forms of the Co. Leitrim surname Rinn which is derived from the Irish word for raven.	Wylie, Wiley an English surname introduced during the Ulster Plantation of the early 17th century. Also possibly a translation of the Co. Clare surname Ó hUalaigh.
Wyndham The name of an aristocratic English family. In 1903 the Wyndham Land Act instigated by then Chief Secretary George Wyndham, enabled tenants to buy out landlords.	Wynne Similar to the Welsh Gwynn and synonymous with many Irish surnames, such as McGee, McGeeney and Mulgeehy. Derived from gaoth the Irish word for wind.