Carolan - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Cearbhalláin
Meaning: “little champion”
Traditional stronghold: Meath, Cavan
Turlough O’Carolan was the last great harper-composer.
Pronunciation: KA-ro-lan; Irish O Cearbhallain: oh KAR-a-vaw-lawn
History of the Carolan name
Carolan comes from O Cearbhallain, a diminutive of the personal name Cearbhall, itself thought to relate to fierceness in battle. The sept was principally associated with County Fermanagh and neighbouring areas of south Ulster, with further bearers recorded in Louth and Meath. The name is forever linked with the blind harper and composer Turlough O'Carolan, whose airs blended Gaelic tradition with baroque influence and who is regarded as Ireland's last great composer in the bardic harping tradition. Carolan remains most common in its original Ulster border counties today, though the fame of the harper has carried the name well beyond them.
Variants: Carlin · O'Carolan · Carolin
Famous bearers of the name
- Turlough O'Carolan - Blind Irish harper and composer (1670-1738), among the most celebrated figures of Irish traditional music
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Brady · O'Reilly · McGowan · Smith · Clarke · McCabe · Plunkett