Irish Identity

Where your folk
came from

Kanavaghan A Sligo sept often changed to Conway or Convey. Related to O’Hara.	Kane An important Derry-Tyrone family prior to the Ulster Plantation. Still numerous in this part of Ulster.
Kangley Found in Cavan and north Meath. Sometimes anglicised to Tighe.	Kavanagh A well known Wexford family.
MacKavanagh Not connected to the above. Rather MacCavanna, Keaveney or Keevan.	MacKay Scottish and thus north eastern counties. However, sometimes a close relation of the Irish MacHugh.
Keady Originating in Laois and linked to then O’Moores of that county. Nowadays a Galway name.	MacKeague An Ulster name, with many different relatives like MacCague or MacTeague.
Kealaghan Or Keelaghan and Kelaghan. An Oriel name where it has often become Callaghan. See also Westmeath-Offaly area.	Kealey Or Keeley. An anglicised version of a number of Irish families. Like O’Caolloidhe meaning Quelly, O’Cadhla (Kiely) or O’Ceile, a Meath-Louth family where the name still remains popular.
MacKean A Scottish name found in Derry and Donegal. However the anglicisation of Muckian in Monaghan.	MacKeane A west Clare family.
Keane A popular south Munster name. See Cork, Kerry, Waterford. Linked to Kane, Keaney or Keany, which is seen in north Cavan, Leitrim and Donegal.	MacKearney With the Mac usually an Ulster name.
Kearney Carney in Clare and Mayo. One branch O Catharnaigh were a leading Meath family where the name was often anglicised to Fox. The head of their branch was nicknamed so.	Kearon Found in Wicklow.
MacKeary A Monaghan name.	Keary Or Keery. Related to the O’Neills and anglicised to Carey in the north midlands.
Keating An Anglo Norman family who intermingled well and became known as Céitinn. Fairly widespread.	Keaveney Found in large numbers in Connacht counties. Connected to Keevanagh.
Keavy Seen in Clare and Galway.	MacKechnie A branch of the Scottish clan MacDonald and found in Ulster.
Kedian Or Keadian. Linked to MacCadden. Seen in Roscommon.	MacKee In Donegal as Kee. An anglicised form of MacAoidh. Bearers in the north east would usually be of Scottish extraction and linked to MacKay.
O’Keeffe From caomh which means gentle. A very popular Cork name. Originally east Cork and producing kings of Munster, the clan were pushed back to the western edges of Cork.	Keegan Appears in a number of different areas most notably the north eastern Connacht counties of Roscommon, Leitrim. Also Longford and Westmeath.
Keehan A Clare name.	Keelahan See Kealaghan.
Keelan Seen in Meath and Monaghan.	Keena On record in Westmeath, Offaly and Meath.
Keenahan Or Kinahan. In Ulster associated with Cunningham while Keenahan itself belongs to west Offaly.	Keenan A Fermanagh family who worked for the Maguires. In the midland counties of Offaly, Galway and Westmeath, it comes from Kinahan.
Keeshan Seen in east Clare and adjoining parts of Tipperary and Offaly.	Keevan Or Kevane as it is spelt in Kerry. A Cork-Kerry name often changed to Kavanagh. Another sept settled in Sligo-north Mayo area.
MacKeever MacIomhair in Irish and a Viking name. Seen in large numbers in Derry and neighbouring counties of Tyrone and Armagh.	MacKegney Or Keagney, a Tyrone-Fermanagh name.
Kehilly Very much a Cork name, often changed to Coakley.	Kehir Or Keher. Recorded in Tipperary and Roscommon.
Kehoe Or Keogh. Three different branches, south Tipperary, south Roscommon and in the Wicklow-Wexford area where Kehoe is quite common.	Keighran An east Galway family often changed to Kerrigan.
Keighry From Galway. Anglicised to read Kehery and Keaghry which in turn mostly became Carey.	MacKeigue An east Galway name connected to the Ulster Mac Keague.
Keirsey Or Kiersey. Norman and found in Waterford.	MacKellan Seen mostly in north eastern counties. Connected to MacKillan and MacCallion.
Kelledy A Louth name.	Kelleher Originally from the Clare area but following migration are now based in Cork-Kerry sector.
Kellett English families who settled in north Meath and east Cavan.	Kells No connection to any of the towns of this name. Seen mostly in south Ulster.
Kelly From O’Ceallaigh. A great Galway name but quite common in other parts. Second most numerous name in Ireland.	MacKelvy A Donegal sept.
Kemp English and mostly recorded in Dublin and Belfast.	Kendillon Seen in Louth.
Kendrick Norman origin and with prefix Mac in Ulster. Connected to such as Kenrick and Condrick.	Kendrigan A Clare-Galway name.
Kenealy Or Kennealy. Numerous enough in north Kerry and west Limerick.	Kenefick Welsh origins and nowadays associated with Cork.
Kenerney Or Kinnarney. A form of MacInerney found in the Offaly area.	Kenirons Found in north Tipperary.
MacKenna Associated with the O’Neills and north Monaghan is their homeland. Spread to most sectors of the country.	MacKennan A long connection with Ardee in Louth. Linked to Kinnane and the Scottish MacKinnon.
Kenneally See Kinealy.	Kennedy Sometimes Scottish who themselves were of Irish extraction. However, the vast majority of the sept first came to prominence in east Clare, moving to other parts of Munster and further afield.
Kennelly South Munster, linked to Quinnelly, Kinnealy and Connelly.	Kenny The vast majority of this clan are from the east Galway-Roscommon sector.
Kent An English family who arrived 700 years past. See Sligo area.	Kenyon English but sometimes the anglicised form of MacCoinín (Cunneen). Also connected to Kenning and Keenan.
MacKenzie Scottish and found in north eastern corner.	Keogan A Cavan, north Meath name.
Keogh See Kehoe.	Keohane Or Kohane. A west Cork-east Kerry name.
MacKeon Or Keown. Various branches and numerous variants and synonyms. See Connacht counties of Galway, Mayo and Sligo. Also north Louth.	Kerby Or Kirby. Mostly the latter and from ciar which means black or dark brown. Can be seen in southern counties of Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork and Limerick. Also Mayo.
Kerevan Connected to Kirwan in Laois-Kilkenny area.	Kerin Or Kerins and Kieran. Again from the Irish ciar (black or dark brown). Often anglicised Kearns. Common in Louth-Monaghan border area. Also in Mayo, Sligo, Fermanagh and east Cork.
Kerley Seen in Armagh and north Louth. Connected to Curley and Carley.	Kerlin A variant of Carolan and seen in Derry, Donegal and Tyrone.
Kernaghan From cearnach which means victorious. See Armagh and Antrim.	MacKernan A variant of Kiernan which crops up in south Ulster areas of Cavan, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Armagh.
Kerr Popular in northern counties. Mostly Scottish but sometimes meaning the same as Carr and Kerin in Donegal.	Kerrane Or Kirrane. On record in western seaboard counties of Mayo and Galway.
Kerrigan From O’Ciaragáin. Ciar means black or dark brown. A Mayo-north Galway sept.	Kerrisk Seen in Kerry. Connected to Healy. Spelt Kierse in Clare.
Kett A west Clare name.	Kettle Norse. See Dublin and Louth.
MacKettrick Or Kitterick. Viking extraction. Seen in Armagh, Down areas.	MacKevitt A Monaghan, Armagh, north Louth family.
Keyes English but sometimes used for the Irish MacKee.	MacKibbin Usually linked to Down and Antrim.
Kickham English and glorified by the exploits of Mullinahones CJ Kickham.	Kidney Connected to Duane. See Cork.
Kielty Linked to such as Quilty and Keelty. Mostly found in west Munster i.e. Limerick and Clare.	Kiely Locations include Waterford, Tipperary and Limerick.
Kieran See Kerin.	Kiernan Frequently with the Mac. A popular Cavan, Leitrim clan. Same as MacTiernan. From the Irish MacThighearnáin. Tighearna means lord.
Kiggans Or Kiggan. On record in Galway.	Kilbane MacGiolla Bhain. Bán means white. Usually associated with Sligo and north Mayo.
Kilbride From MacGiolla Bhrighde or a devotee of St Brigids. A Roscommon, north Galway, Mayo name. Connected to Mac Bride.	Kilcash Seen in Sligo.
Kilcawley Usually identified with Sligo and north Roscommon.	Kilcline A Roscommon clan nowadays often changed to Cline or Clynes.
Kilcommon Meaning devotee of St. Comon. An east Galway south Roscommon name.	Kilcooley On record in Clare and Galway. Sometimes changed to Cooley.
Kilcoyne A Sligo, Mayo and Galway sept and often shortened to Coyne.	Kilcullen Spelt so in Sligo. In Mayo Kilgallen is quite popular.
Kilderry Found in Clare.	MacKilduff Anglicised to such as MacElduff, MacIlduff, Gilduff and Duff. See Galway.
MacKildunn A Sligo family, sometimes changed to Dunn.	Kilfedder Or Kilfeather. From MacGiolla Pheadaoir which means a devotee of St. Peter. A Sligo name.
Kilgallen See Kilcullen.	Kilgannon Another Sligo name. Connected to Gannon.
MacKilgore A Donegal sept.	Kilkelly Or Killikelly. Connected to the O’Flahertys. Sometimes changed to Kelly. See Galway.
Kilkenny Nothing to do with town of same name. Seen in Galway and linked to Donegal clans MacElhinney and MacIlhenny.	MacKilkey A Derry name. Connected to Gilkie, and the southern Kielty and Quilty.
Killachy Or Kellahy. A rare midland name seen where counties Tipperary, Offaly and Galway meet.	Killeen A Mayo sept from where it migrated to Galway and Offaly.
MacKillen Originally a Gallowglass family hired by the O’Donnells. Found in Armagh, Monaghan and north Louth.	MacKillerlean A Sligo sept connected to the O’Donnells.
Killian A Clare-Galway version of Killeen. Became Killion in Roscommon and Westmeath.	Killiard A rare Westmeath name.
Killilea Galway is its homeland.	MacKillop A branch of the Scottish MacDonalds and popular in Antrim.
Killoran Like a number commencing with Kil, a Sligo family. Spread to Roscommon where it is often spelt Gilloran.	Killough From the Scottish MacKelloch and seen in Ulster.
Killoughry A west Clare name.	Kilmaine A Mayo family.
Kilmartin A branch of the Tyrone O’Neills. In the northern sector it remained Gilmartin. Found in the Connacht counties of Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon and Galway.	Kilmore A Sligo form of Gilmore.
Kilmurray Found in Offaly.	Kilpatrick A form of Fitzpatrick seen in Ulster.
Kilrea Another Sligo sept.	Kilroy Seen in Sligo and Roscommon.
Kinagam Or Kinagan and Kinningham. Seen in Louth and south Ulster.	Kincaid Scottish and subsequently on record in northern counties, especially Antrim and Derry.
Kinch Seen in Wicklow and Wexford.	Kindelan Linked to the O’Neills. Mostly changed to Connellan. See Westmeath and Meath.
King English but usually the anglicisation of such as Conroy, Conry, Conree, MacAree, MacKeary, MacKinn or Gilroy.	Kingston An English family who settled in west Cork and where the name has become numerous.
MacKinley Or Kinlay. Usually Scottish but occasionally from the Irish MacAlee.	Kinloch Scottish and often spelt Kinlough.
Kinally Seen in north Tipperary and south Offaly.	Kinnane A north Tipperary name. Related to Quinane, Guinane and Ginnane.
Kinnarney An Offaly version of McInerney.	Kinnavane Seen in Clare.
Kinnawe Or Kinneavy. A Galway name, nowadays often changed to Forde. Kinnawe is linked to McKenna in Kerry.	Kinneally See Kennelly.
Kinnear In Ulster of Scottish extraction, further south the anglicisation of such as MacInnire and MacEnir.	MacKinney Sometimes Scottish from the Mac Kinnon and Mac Kenzies clans but mostly an Irish sept who can trace their origins back to the Tyrone-Fermanagh meeting points.
Kinsella A great north Wexford family who use neither the prefix O or Mac.	MacKinstry Scottish and Ulster.
Kirby See Kerby.	Kirk Or Kirke. In northern counties of British extraction. In Munster it comes from Quirke.
Kirwan One of the Tribes of Galway. From O Ciardubhaín, ciar dubh means black.	Kissane A Kerry, Cork name but changed to Cashman in the latter.
Kitson Clare holders of the name were originally Ó Ceit.	MacKitterick Norse origin and linked to MacKetterick and MacKetrick. Seen in north eastern counties.
Kivlehan Found in north western counties of Sligo and Leitrim.	MacKnight Both Irish and Scottish origin. See south Armagh, south Down area.
Kyle A Scottish family who arrived in Derry during the Plantation.	Kyne Seen in Connacht, related to Coyne.