Costello - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mac Coisdealbha
Meaning: son of Jocelyn (Norman-Gaelic)
Traditional stronghold: Mayo
The first Norman family to take a Gaelic Mac name.
Pronunciation: koss-TELL-oh; Irish Mac Oisdealbhaigh: mock USH-jal-vee
History of the Costello name
Costello is a landmark name in Irish history: Mac Oisdealbhaigh, taken from Oisdealbh, son of the Norman adventurer Gilbert de Angulo, is regarded as the first instance of a Norman family adopting a Gaelic Mac-style surname. The family carved out a lordship in east Mayo that survives on the map as the barony of Costello, and for centuries they warred and intermarried with their Burke and MacDermot neighbours. The name spread through Connacht and beyond, and its bearers range from a Taoiseach who declared the Republic of Ireland in 1949 to one of the most literate songwriters of the rock era.
Variants: Costelloe · Costellow · MacCostello
Famous bearers of the name
- John A. Costello - Taoiseach of two inter-party governments who took Ireland out of the Commonwealth and declared the Republic.
- Elvis Costello - English singer-songwriter born Declan Patrick MacManus, who took the Costello name from his Irish family.
- Paul Costelloe - Dublin-born fashion designer, long a fixture of London Fashion Week.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Walsh · Burke · Moran · Higgins · Conway · Jennings · Browne · Barrett