Byrne - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Broin
Meaning: descendant of Bran - “raven”
Traditional stronghold: Dublin, Wicklow
Pronunciation: BURN; Irish O Broin: oh BRIN
History of the Byrne name
The O'Byrnes were originally lords of Ui Faelain in north Kildare, but were driven into the Wicklow mountains by the Anglo-Norman settlement of Leinster in the 12th and 13th centuries. There they became, along with the O'Tooles, one of the most persistently defiant Gaelic families of the Pale, raiding into English-held territory for centuries and producing the celebrated rebel Fiach McHugh O'Byrne, who defeated an English force at Glenmalure in 1580. Their long association with Wicklow gave the surname its enduring stronghold there, and Byrne is now, without the O, the most common surname in Dublin and one of the most numerous nationally.
Variants: Byrn · O'Byrne · Burn
Famous bearers of the name
- Gabriel Byrne - Dublin-born stage and screen actor
- David Byrne - Scottish-born, Irish-raised musician, frontman of Talking Heads
- Ed Byrne - Dublin-born stand-up comedian
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Doyle · Casey · Cullen · O'Toole · Behan · Cosgrave · Ennis · Keegan