Enright — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mac Ionnrachtaigh
Meaning: 'son of Ionnrachtach (attacker)'
Traditional stronghold: Clare, Kerry, Limerick
Pronunciation: EN-rite; Irish Mac Ionnrachtaigh: mok IN-rakh-tee
History of the Enright name
Enright renders the Irish Mac Ionnrachtaigh, from a personal name usually explained as 'attacker' or 'unlawful one', and unusually for a Mac name it dropped the prefix entirely in its anglicised form. The name belongs firmly to the lower Shannon region: Limerick, north Kerry and Clare have held the bulk of Enrights for centuries, and the name is notably associated with west Limerick towns such as Athea and Abbeyfeale. It never developed a great territorial sept, remaining a name of farmers, tradesmen and, in modern times, writers and sportspeople. Anne Enright of Dublin brought it international literary fame, winning the Booker Prize in 2007 and becoming Ireland's first Laureate for Fiction.
Variants: Enraght · McEnright
Famous bearers of the name
- Anne Enright — Dublin novelist who won the 2007 Booker Prize for The Gathering and became Ireland's first Laureate for Fiction.
- Michael Enright — Long-serving Canadian broadcaster of Irish descent, host of CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Brien · Ryan · O'Sullivan · O'Connor · McCarthy · Kennedy · Quinn · O'Connell