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What does an O' in Irish surnames mean?

Updated: 8/16/2019
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15y ago

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The Ó as in Ó Briain (O'Brien) comes from the older Irish word Ua (grandson, grandchild; descendant).

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Q: What does an O' in Irish surnames mean?
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What does the O' mean in Irish surnames?

The prefix O' seen in Irish surnames is from the Irish (Gaelic) Ó (earlier Ua)which means 'grandson, descendant'.O'Neill in Irish is Ó Néill (descendant of Niall).Grandson or descendant.


Why do many Irish surnames have 'O' at the biginning of them?

It has been estimated that 80% of Irish surnames originally had an O' prefix.


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O' in Irish surnames is from Ó (grandson,descendant) as in Ó Néill, grandson of Niall or Ó Briain from Brian, etc.


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What does the Irish Mc names mean?

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What do many Irish names begin with?

Are you asking about Christian (first) names or Surnames? For surnames the prefix O' meaning grandson (of) also Mc/Mac meaning son (of) which is prevalant in the Highlands of Scotland as well. The two acounting for 25% of the top 100 most common surnames in Ireland.


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What does Mc stand for in a Scottish surname?

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