Martin — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Máirtín
Meaning: 'from the personal name Martin (Latin Martinus)'
Traditional stronghold: Galway, Tyrone
Pronunciation: MAR-tin; Irish Máirtín: MAWR-cheen
History of the Martin name
Martin in Ireland has several distinct sources. The most celebrated are the Martyns, one of the fourteen Tribes of Galway, merchant patricians of that city from the thirteenth century whose Connemara seat at Ballynahinch produced Richard 'Humanity Dick' Martin, the animal-welfare pioneer. Elsewhere the name anglicises Gaelic patronymics, notably Mac Giolla Mháirtín, 'son of the devotee of St Martin', in Tyrone, where it sometimes became Gilmartin. Devotion to St Martin of Tours, spread through the medieval church, made the base name common across Europe, and English and Scottish settler Martins added further to the Irish total.
Variants: Martyn · MacMartin · Gilmartin · Ó Máirtín
Famous bearers of the name
- Richard Martin — Galway MP nicknamed Humanity Dick, a founder of the world's first animal-welfare society.
- Violet Martin — Galway writer who, as Martin Ross, co-authored the Somerville and Ross novels.
- Micheál Martin — Cork politician, leader of Fianna Fáil and twice Taoiseach.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · O'Neill · Lynch · Quinn · Connolly · Burke · Clarke · Hughes