Northern Irish Last Name Generator
Surnames of the six counties, stream by stream
Northern Irish last names, one surname per entry: Gaelic names such as Devlin, Mallon and Magennis, Mc names of the Glens like McKillop and McAuley, Scottish names like Orr and Kirkpatrick, and English ones like Turkington and Hewitt.
About Northern Irish last names
Surnames in Northern Ireland come from three sources that have sat side by side for four centuries. The oldest are Gaelic Irish: O'Neill, Donnelly, Devlin and Hagan in Tyrone, Maguire in Fermanagh, Magennis and McCartan in Down, O'Kane in the Roe valley. Mag is the form Mac takes before a vowel, which gives Magee, Maguire and Magennis, and the Il in McIlwaine and McIlhatton is what remains of giolla, a servant or devotee.
Scotland supplied two waves. Gaelic-speaking families crossed from Argyll and the Isles to the Glens of Antrim and the north coast in the late Middle Ages, leaving McAuley, McKillop, McAllister and McNeill. Lowland names such as Boyd, Kerr, Orr, Rea and Baird arrived with the settlements of the early 1600s, along with Border names that took root in Fermanagh: Armstrong, Elliott, Irvine, Nixon and Crozier. English settlers of the same years, strongest in north Armagh and the Lagan valley, left names such as Chambers, Hewitt and Turkington.
All 1,000 entries are single surnames with no given names. One Gaelic name often has several English spellings, and each appears only where it is established in its own right, such as Magennis, Maginnis and McGuinness, or Smith and Smyth. Names where Mac has worn down to Ma or Me are a local speciality: Mawhinney, Megaw, Meharg and Mehaffey.
How to choose Northern Irish last names
- Match the stream to the place: Maguire, Corrigan or McCaffrey for a Fermanagh family, McKillop or McCambridge for the Glens of Antrim, Turkington or Uprichard for the Lurgan and Portadown area.
- Local spellings add texture: Johnston with a t, Millar with an a, Smyth beside Smith and Lyttle beside Little.
- For a full character name, put a given name in front. Given names in Northern Ireland draw on Irish, Scottish and English traditions, so choose one to suit the character and the decade rather than the surname.
- Vary the prefixes in a cast. About a fifth of this list starts with Mc, so a street or a school register of nothing but Mc names reads as overdone; mix in names like Greer, Hanna, Lavery and Quail.
- Keep O' where it is used locally. O'Neill, O'Kane, O'Hagan and O'Hare normally carry the prefix, while Kane and Hagan also stand without it.
Frequently asked questions
What are some typical Northern Irish last names?
Gaelic names such as Devlin, Mallon, Magennis and McAteer sit beside Scottish ones such as Johnston, Montgomery, Beattie and Kirkpatrick and English ones such as Chambers, Hewitt and Turkington. All of them are in this list of 1,000, along with rarer local names like Haire, Girvan and Megaw.
Why are there so many Mc names in Northern Ireland?
Mac means "son of" in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic, so the names come from two directions. McKenna, McCann and McCartan are Gaelic Irish, while McAuley, McKillop and McAllister reached the Glens of Antrim from the west of Scotland. Mc is only a short way of writing Mac.
Why do some Northern Irish surnames come in pairs?
Clerks writing in English took Gaelic names down by ear or translated them. Mac Seáin, "son of John", became both McShane and Johnson, Mac Gabhann, "son of the smith", became McGowan and Smith, and Mac an Ghirr became McGirr and Shortt. Where both forms took hold, the list has each as a separate entry.
Can I use this as a Northern Irish name generator for full names?
The list is surnames only, so every result is a family name such as Kernaghan, Loughran or Sinnamon. To make a full name, put a given name in front. The Irish name generator linked from this page is one place to find one.
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All 1,000 Northern Irish last names
A: 19 names
- Abernethy
- Acheson
- Adair
- Adams
- Adamson
- Agnew
- Aiken
- Alcorn
- Alderdice
- Alexander
- Allen
- Allister
- Anderson
- Andrews
- Annett
- Armour
- Armstrong
- Atkinson
- Auld
B: 54 names
- Bailie
- Baird
- Ballentine
- Bamford
- Bannon
- Barbour
- Barr
- Baxter
- Beattie
- Beatty
- Beggs
- Bell
- Best
- Biggerstaff
- Bingham
- Birney
- Black
- Blackwood
- Blair
- Blakely
- Blaney
- Bleakley
- Blevins
- Boal
- Bogue
- Bonar
- Bonner
- Boomer
- Bothwell
- Boyce
- Boyd
- Boyle
- Bradford
- Bradley
- Bradshaw
- Branagh
- Braniff
- Brankin
- Brannigan
- Breen
- Breslin
- Brogan
- Brolly
- Brown
- Brownlee
- Brownlow
- Bryson
- Buchanan
- Buick
- Burns
- Burnside
- Bustard
- Byers
- Byrne
C: 94 names
- Cahoon
- Cairnduff
- Cairns
- Calderwood
- Caldwell
- Calvert
- Cameron
- Campbell
- Canavan
- Canning
- Capper
- Carberry
- Cardwell
- Carlin
- Carlisle
- Carmichael
- Carr
- Carragher
- Carruthers
- Carson
- Carville
- Caskey
- Cassells
- Cassidy
- Cathcart
- Catherwood
- Caughey
- Chambers
- Chesney
- Chestnutt
- Christie
- Clarke
- Clements
- Clendinning
- Clingan
- Close
- Clugston
- Clyde
- Coates
- Cobain
- Cochrane
- Coey
- Colgan
- Colhoun
- Colton
- Colville
- Coney
C, continued
- Conlon
- Conn
- Connolly
- Convery
- Conway
- Cooke
- Copeland
- Cordner
- Corken
- Corr
- Corrigan
- Corry
- Cosgrove
- Coulter
- Courtney
- Cowan
- Coyle
- Craig
- Crangle
- Cranston
- Crawford
- Crawley
- Creaney
- Creighton
- Crilly
- Crockett
- Cromie
- Crooks
- Crookshanks
- Crossan
- Crossey
- Crothers
- Crozier
- Crumlish
- Crymble
- Cuddy
- Culbert
- Cummings
- Cunningham
- Cupples
- Curran
- Currie
- Curry
- Cush
- Cushley
- Cushnahan
- Cuthbert
D: 59 names
- Dallat
- Daly
- Dalzell
- Darragh
- Davey
- Davidson
- Davison
- Dawson
- Deeney
- Deery
- Delargy
- Dennison
- Denvir
- Devenney
- Devine
- Devlin
- Diamond
- Dick
- Dickey
- Dickson
- Dinsmore
- Diver
- Dixon
- Doak
- Dobbin
- Dodds
- Doey
- Doherty
- Dolaghan
- Dolan
- Donaghy
- Donaldson
- Donnan
- Donnell
- Donnelly
- Doran
- Doris
- Dorman
- Dornan
- Dorrian
- Dougan
- Douglas
- Dowds
- Downey
- Drayne
- Drennan
- Dripps
- Drumm
- Duddy
- Duffin
- Duffy
- Dunbar
- Duncan
- Dunlop
- Dunn
- Dunseith
- Dunwoody
- Durnien
- Dynes
E: 13 names
- Eagleson
- Eakin
- Eccles
- Edgar
- Elder
- Elkin
- Elliott
- Emerson
- Erskine
- Ervine
- Esler
- Espie
- Ewart
F: 32 names
- Falls
- Faloon
- Farquhar
- Farren
- Fearon
- Fee
- Feeney
- Fegan
- Ferguson
- Ferris
- Ferry
- Finlay
- Finnegan
- Fitzpatrick
- Fitzsimons
- Flanagan
- Fleck
- Fleming
- Forbes
- Forster
- Forsythe
- Foster
- Fox
- Francey
- Frazer
- Freeburn
- Frew
- Friel
- Frizzell
- Fullerton
- Fulton
- Fyffe
G: 53 names
- Galbraith
- Gallagher
- Gallen
- Galway
- Gamble
- Gardiner
- Garvey
- Gaston
- Gault
- Gawn
- Geddis
- Getty
- Gibson
- Giffen
- Gilchrist
- Gilfillan
- Gilkinson
- Gillan
- Gillanders
- Gilleece
- Gillen
- Gillespie
- Gilliland
- Gilmer
- Gilmore
- Gilmour
- Gilpin
- Girvan
- Givan
- Glasgow
- Glass
- Glendinning
- Glenn
- Goodwin
- Gordon
- Gormley
- Gough
- Gourley
- Gowdy
- Gracey
- Graffin
- Graham
- Granleese
- Grant
- Gray
- Greenaway
- Greer
- Gregg
- Grew
- Gribben
- Gribbin
- Grimason
- Gunn
H: 71 names
- Hadden
- Haddock
- Hagan
- Haire
- Hall
- Halliday
- Hamill
- Hamilton
- Hampsey
- Hanlon
- Hanna
- Hannaway
- Hanvey
- Harbinson
- Harkin
- Harkness
- Harper
- Harrison
- Harron
- Harte
- Harvey
- Haslett
- Hassard
- Hasson
- Hastings
- Hatrick
- Haughey
- Haughian
- Hawthorne
- Hazlett
- Heaney
- Heasley
- Heatley
- Heenan
- Heffron
H, continued
- Hegarty
- Hemphill
- Henderson
- Hendron
- Henning
- Henry
- Herbison
- Herdman
- Heron
- Herron
- Hetherington
- Hewitt
- Higginson
- Hilditch
- Hill
- Hillis
- Hinds
- Hoey
- Hogg
- Hollinger
- Hollywood
- Holmes
- Horner
- Houston
- Hoy
- Hueston
- Huey
- Hughes
- Hull
- Humphreys
- Hunniford
- Hunter
- Hurson
- Hutchinson
- Hutton
- Hyndman
I: 3 names
- Ingram
- Irvine
- Irwin
J: 7 names
- Jackson
- Jamieson
- Jamison
- Jeffers
- Jess
- Johnson
- Johnston
K: 36 names
- Kane
- Kearney
- Keatley
- Keenan
- Keers
- Keery
- Kells
- Kelly
- Kelso
- Kennedy
- Keown
- Kernaghan
- Kernan
- Kernohan
- Kerr
- Keys
- Kidd
- Kielt
- Kielty
- Kilfedder
- Kilgore
- Killen
- Killough
- Kilpatrick
- Kincaid
- Kinghan
- Kinnear
- Kinney
- Kirk
- Kirkland
- Kirkpatrick
- Kirkwood
- Kitson
- Knipe
- Knox
- Kyle
L: 46 names
- Lafferty
- Lagan
- Laird
- Lamont
- Lamph
- Lappin
- Larkin
- Larmour
- Latimer
- Laverty
- Lavery
- Lawson
- Lawther
- Leathem
- Leckey
- Lecky
- Leeman
- Leeper
- Leitch
- Lemon
- Lennon
- Lennox
- Leonard
- Leslie
- Liggett
- Lilburn
- Lindsay
- Linton
- Little
- Livingstone
- Lockhart
- Logan
- Logue
- Loughlin
- Loughran
- Loughrey
- Loughridge
- Love
- Lowry
- Lunny
- Lusk
- Lutton
- Lyle
- Lynch
- Lynn
- Lyttle
M: 294 names
- Macartney
- Mackey
- Mackin
- Mackle
- Madden
- Madill
- Magee
- Mageean
- Magennis
- Magill
- Maginn
- Maginnis
- Magorrian
- Magowan
- Magrath
- Maguire
- Mailey
- Mairs
- Malcolmson
- Mallaghan
- Mallon
- Marley
- Marron
- Marshall
- Martin
- Matchett
- Mateer
- Mathers
- Matthews
- Mawhinney
- Maxwell
- Maybin
- Mayne
- McAfee
- McAlary
- McAlea
- McAleavey
- McAleese
- McAlinden
- McAllister
- McAlonan
- McAloon
- McAnallen
- McAreavey
- McAskie
- McAtackney
- McAtamney
- McAtasney
- McAteer
- McAughey
- McAuley
- McBride
- McBrien
- McBrinn
- McBurney
- McCaffrey
- McCalmont
- McCambridge
M, continued
- McCammick
- McCance
- McCandless
- McCann
- McCappin
- McCarney
- McCarroll
- McCarron
- McCarry
- McCart
- McCartan
- McCartney
- McCaughan
- McCaughern
- McCaugherty
- McCaul
- McCausland
- McCavana
- McCavigan
- McClarty
- McClatchey
- McClay
- McClean
- McCleave
- McCleery
- McClelland
- McClements
- McClenahan
- McClinton
- McCloskey
- McCloy
- McClune
- McClung
- McClure
- McClurg
- McCluskey
- McCollam
- McCollum
- McCombe
- McComish
- McComiskey
- McConaghie
- McConaghy
- McConnell
- McConomy
- McConville
- McCook
- McCool
- McCord
- McCorkell
- McCormick
- McCorry
- McCotter
- McCoubrey
- McCracken
- McCrea
- McCready
- McCreight
- McCrink
M, continued
- McCrory
- McCrossan
- McCrum
- McCrystal
- McCullough
- McCurdy
- McCusker
- McDaid
- McDonnell
- McDowell
- McEldowney
- McElduff
- McElheran
- McElholm
- McElhone
- McElrea
- McElroy
- McElvanna
- McElvogue
- McErlain
- McErlean
- McEvoy
- McFall
- McFarland
- McFaul
- McFetridge
- McFlynn
- McGaffin
- McGarrity
- McGarry
- McGeary
- McGeown
- McGerrigan
- McGilligan
- McGimpsey
- McGirr
- McGivern
- McGladdery
- McGleenan
- McGlennon
- McGlinchey
- McGlone
- McGoldrick
- McGonagle
- McGookin
- McGowan
- McGrady
- McGranaghan
- McGreevy
- McGrogan
- McGuckin
- McGuigan
- McGuinness
- McGurgan
- McGurk
- McHenry
- McIlfatrick
- McIlgorm
- McIlhagga
M, continued
- McIlhatton
- McIlkenny
- McIlmail
- McIlmurray
- McIlroy
- McIlvenna
- McIlwaine
- McIlwrath
- McKavanagh
- McKeag
- McKee
- McKeefry
- McKeegan
- McKeeman
- McKeever
- McKendry
- McKenna
- McKeown
- McKernan
- McKerr
- McKibbin
- McKillop
- McKinney
- McKinty
- McKittrick
- McKnight
- McLarnon
- McLaughlin
- McLister
- McLornan
- McMackin
- McManus
- McMaster
- McMaw
- McMordie
- McMorran
- McMullan
- McMurran
- McNabney
- McNamee
- McNaughton
- McNaul
- McNeill
- McNicholl
- McNickle
- McNinch
- McOscar
- McParland
- McPeake
- McPoland
- McQuillan
- McRandal
- McShane
- McSorley
- McSparran
- McStravick
- McSwiggan
- McTaggart
- McVeigh
M, continued
- McVicker
- McVitty
- McWilliams
- Meehan
- Meeke
- Meenan
- Megahey
- Megarry
- Megaw
- Mehaffey
- Meharg
- Mellon
- Menary
- Menown
- Millar
- Millen
- Milligan
- Milliken
- Minford
- Minnis
- Miskelly
- Miskimmin
- Mitchell
- Moffatt
- Moffett
- Mohan
- Monaghan
- Mone
- Montague
- Monteith
- Montgomery
- Mooney
- Moore
- Moorhead
- Moreland
- Morgan
- Morris
- Morrison
- Morrow
- Morton
- Mulgrew
- Mulhern
- Mulheron
- Mulholland
- Mulkerns
- Mullan
- Mulligan
- Mullin
- Mulrine
- Mulryne
- Mulvenna
- Murdoch
- Murdock
- Murnaghan
- Murnin
- Murphy
- Murray
- Murtagh
- Mussen
N: 17 names
- Napier
- Neely
- Neeson
- Neill
- Neilly
- Nelson
- Nesbitt
- Nethercott
- Nevin
- Newell
- Niblock
- Nicholl
- Nicholson
- Nixon
- Noble
- Nugent
- Nutt
O: 17 names
- O'Boyle
- O'Doherty
- O'Donnell
- O'Hagan
- O'Hanlon
- O'Hara
- O'Hare
- O'Kane
- O'Loan
- O'Neill
- O'Prey
- O'Rawe
- O'Reilly
- Ogle
- Oliver
- Orr
- Owens
P: 20 names
- Park
- Parke
- Parkhill
- Patterson
- Patton
- Paul
- Peden
- Pedlow
- Pentland
- Peoples
- Petticrew
- Pettigrew
- Phair
- Picken
- Pinkerton
- Pollock
- Poots
- Porter
- Purdy
- Pyper
Q: 4 names
- Quail
- Quigg
- Quigley
- Quinn
R: 30 names
- Rafferty
- Rainey
- Ramsey
- Rankin
- Rea
- Reavey
- Reford
- Reid
- Rice
- Richardson
- Riddell
- Ringland
- Ritchie
- Robb
- Robinson
- Rocks
- Roddy
- Rodgers
- Rogan
- Rolston
- Rooney
- Ross
- Roulston
- Rowan
- Ruddell
- Ruddock
- Ruddy
- Russell
- Rutherford
- Rutledge
S: 57 names
- Savage
- Scott
- Scullin
- Scullion
- Seawright
- Seeds
- Semple
- Shanks
- Shannon
- Sharkey
- Sharvin
- Shaw
- Shearer
- Sherrard
- Sherry
- Shevlin
- Shields
- Shiels
- Shilliday
- Shirlow
- Shortt
- Simms
- Simpson
- Sinclair
- Sinnamon
- Sittlington
- Skeffington
- Skelly
- Skelton
- Sloan
- Small
- Smith
- Smylie
- Smyth
- Somerville
- Speers
- Spence
- Spratt
- Sproule
- Steele
- Steenson
- Stevenson
- Stewart
- Stirling
- Stitt
- Stockdale
- Stockman
- Storey
- Strahan
- Strain
- Stranney
- Sturgeon
- Sufferin
- Surgenor
- Swail
- Swann
- Sweeney
T: 34 names
- Taggart
- Tally
- Tannahill
- Tate
- Taylor
- Teague
- Tedford
- Teggart
- Telford
- Templeton
- Thompson
- Timoney
- Tinnelly
- Tinsley
- Titterington
- Toal
- Todd
- Tohill
- Toland
- Toman
- Toner
- Topping
- Torrens
- Tosh
- Totten
- Trainor
- Traynor
- Trimble
- Trotter
- Tumelty
- Turbitt
- Turkington
- Turley
- Tweed
U: 1 name
- Uprichard
V: 4 names
- Vallely
- Vance
- Veitch
- Vint
W: 34 names
- Walker
- Wallace
- Walmsley
- Ward
- Warnock
- Warwick
- Wasson
- Watson
- Watt
- Wauchope
- Waugh
- Weatherup
- Weir
- Wharry
- White
- Whiteside
- Whitla
- Whitten
- Whyte
- Wightman
- Wilkinson
- Williamson
- Willis
- Wilson
- Winters
- Withers
- Witherspoon
- Wolsey
- Woods
- Woodside
- Workman
- Wray
- Wright
- Wylie