This Map Shows Exactly Which Irish County Your Family Came From
The Way Of Ireland
18,812 views
Murphy is the biggest surname in Ireland, and it comes first in only 3 of the 32 counties. In 1890 a Dublin civil servant counted every birth on the island by surname and by place, and the map he ended up with shows where each Irish family actually lived.
This video walks through all four provinces and names the top surname in every county, from Sullivan in Cork and Kerry to Gallagher in Donegal, Ryan in Tipperary, Kelly in Galway and Smith in Antrim. Then it shows you how to find your own family's county for free, using Griffith's Valuation, the 1901 and 1911 censuses, and Irish civil birth records.
More Irish family history here: @thewayofireland
CHAPTERS
0:00 Why Murphy loses almost everywhere
0:51 The 1890 count of every Irish surname
1:25 Why there is no Irish census for the 1800s
2:08 Leinster: Murphy, Byrne, Kelly, Reilly
3:05 Munster: Sullivan, Ryan, McMahon, Power
4:43 Why Irish surnames stayed in one place
5:43 Ulster: Gallagher, Doherty, Reilly, Maguire, Smith
7:04 Connaught: Kelly, Walsh, Brennan
7:34 Surnames found in only one county
8:20 How to find your county for free
9:24 If your name is Murphy or Kelly
SOURCES
Robert E. Matheson, Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (1894), based on the Births Index of 1890
Rev. Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
National Archives of Ireland, census history and Griffith's Valuation guides
Ask About Ireland, Griffith's Valuation
Gilbert et al., The Irish DNA Atlas, Scientific Reports (2017)
County figures are birth registrations for 1890 by registration county. Offaly and Laois appear in the report as King's County and Queen's County.
3 Comments
This Map Shows Exactly Which Irish County Your Family Came From
The Way Of Ireland
18,812 views
Murphy is the biggest surname in Ireland, and it comes first in only 3 of the 32 counties. In 1890 a Dublin civil servant counted every birth on the island by surname and by place, and the map he ended up with shows where each Irish family actually lived.
This video walks through all four provinces and names the top surname in every county, from Sullivan in Cork and Kerry to Gallagher in Donegal, Ryan in Tipperary, Kelly in Galway and Smith in Antrim. Then it shows you how to find your own family's county for free, using Griffith's Valuation, the 1901 and 1911 censuses, and Irish civil birth records.
More Irish family history here: @thewayofireland
CHAPTERS
0:00 Why Murphy loses almost everywhere
0:51 The 1890 count of every Irish surname
1:25 Why there is no Irish census for the 1800s
2:08 Leinster: Murphy, Byrne, Kelly, Reilly
3:05 Munster: Sullivan, Ryan, McMahon, Power
4:43 Why Irish surnames stayed in one place
5:43 Ulster: Gallagher, Doherty, Reilly, Maguire, Smith
7:04 Connaught: Kelly, Walsh, Brennan
7:34 Surnames found in only one county
8:20 How to find your county for free
9:24 If your name is Murphy or Kelly
SOURCES
Robert E. Matheson, Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (1894), based on the Births Index of 1890
Rev. Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
National Archives of Ireland, census history and Griffith's Valuation guides
Ask About Ireland, Griffith's Valuation
Gilbert et al., The Irish DNA Atlas, Scientific Reports (2017)
County figures are birth registrations for 1890 by registration county. Offaly and Laois appear in the report as King's County and Queen's County.