The Top 10 Irish Surnames. When you embark on your journey of tracing your Irish roots, you most likely have a surname to launch your search from. Chances are you may even have one of the top 10 Irish surnames somewhere in your tree.

My Irish Surnames and Other Animals

Do you have an Irish Animal Surname in your family tree? The people of Ireland have long had a strong connection with the animals they share their island with. Part of being an agricultural community is living in harmony with the creatures you raise, and depend on for survival. This important relationship has seeped into the surnames of Ireland.

What’s Your Name in Irish?

Do you know your given name in Irish? Many popular names have an Irish equivalent – names like Seán for John, Máire for Mary and so on. And then there are some slightly more challenging ones. Let’s have a look at some of these names today. Before we start, if you don’t see your name…

Irish Surname Evolution.

We had a very interesting reaction to last week’s letter where I went through just some of the old Gaelic family names and their links to certain professions such as Medic, Judge, Poet and so on. I asked you to let me know if you had any of these names in your family – and…

Irish Naming Patterns

Do Irish naming patterns work for you? Have you ever reached a stumbling block in your ancestry research? In this letter will will discuss a built in set of clues left by many of our Irish ancestors, hidden in the pattern of how they named their children.