Surname Generator / Irish
Irish Surname Generator
Irish surnames are among the oldest hereditary surnames in Europe. The prefix 'Ó' (anglicised 'O') means 'descendant of' and 'Mac' means 'son of': O'Brien ('descendant of Brian'), McCarthy, O'Connor. Murphy — from Ó Murchadha, 'descendant of the sea-warrior' — is the most common surname in Ireland.
Generate Irish last names
Sampled from real, commonly recorded surnames of this origin. They are real family names — use thoughtfully.
About Irish surnames
- Murphy, Kelly, O'Sullivan, Walsh and O'Brien are the top five Irish surnames.
- 'O' = 'descendant of'; 'Mac/Mc' = 'son of'. Many families dropped the prefix under British rule and some have re-added it.
- Walsh means 'Welshman' — a name for medieval settlers from Wales.
- Fitz- (as in Fitzgerald) comes from Norman French 'fils', 'son of'.
Researching your Irish family tree?
These generated names are for fiction, games and test data — not lookups of real people. If you're tracing an actual Irish surname, dedicated genealogy services hold the records.
Recommended: Ancestry · MyHeritage · FamilySearch (free)(affiliate links — add your partner IDs)
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