Brophy - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Bróithe
Meaning: descendant of Bróth
Traditional stronghold: Kilkenny, Laois
Pronunciation: BROH-fee; Irish Ó Bróithe: oh BROH-heh
History of the Brophy name
Ó Bróithe is a sept of the ancient kingdom of Ossory, holding lands where Laois and Kilkenny meet; the village and railway junction of Ballybrophy in Laois preserves their name on the map. The meaning of the root name Bróth is obscure, which is itself a mark of the surname's antiquity. The Brophys never ranked among the great territorial chiefs but were a numerous and settled people of the Ossory region, and the name today is still found chiefly in Laois, Kilkenny, Carlow and Dublin. It was anglicised early, the O never widely resumed, and emigration spread it through Britain, America and Australia in the nineteenth century.
Variants: Brophey · Broghy · O'Brophy
Famous bearers of the name
- Niall Brophy - Ireland rugby winger of the 1950s and 60s who toured twice with the British and Irish Lions.
- Brigid Brophy - London-born novelist and campaigner for authors' rights, daughter of an Irish literary family.
- John Brophy - Liverpool-born novelist of Irish parentage whose story The Day They Robbed the Bank of England was filmed in 1960.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Walsh · Moore · Dunne · Brennan · Fitzpatrick · Tobin · Purcell · Dowling