Sugrue — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Siochfhradha
Meaning: 'descendant of Siochfhradh' (Norse Sigfrid, victory-peace)
Traditional stronghold: Kerry
Pronunciation: SOO-groo; Irish Ó Siochfhradha: oh SHUKH-ra
History of the Sugrue name
Sugrue preserves a Viking echo in the heart of Kerry: Ó Siochfhradha derives from the Norse personal name Sigfrid ('victory-peace'), adopted into Gaelic use during the Hiberno-Norse centuries. The family were a branch of the O'Sullivans, settled around Dunloe and the Killarney-Iveragh country, and the name has remained intensely local ever since - Kerry still accounts for the great majority of Irish Sugrues, with spillover into west Cork and Limerick. Spellings include Sughrue and Shugrue. The Gaelic form was borne with distinction by Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha, who wrote as An Seabhac ('the hawk') and gave Irish literature the comic classic Jimín Mháire Thaidhg.
Variants: Sughrue · Shugrue · O'Sugrue
Famous bearers of the name
- Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (An Seabhac) — Kerry writer, editor and Gaelic League organiser, author of Jimín Mháire Thaidhg.
- Butty Sugrue — Kerry strongman and showman who promoted Muhammad Ali's 1972 fight at Croke Park.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Sullivan · O'Connor · McCarthy · O'Connell · Fitzgerald · O'Shea · Griffin · Kelleher