Wallace — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: de Bhailís
Meaning: 'the Welshman' (Norman French le Waleis)
Traditional stronghold: Limerick, Antrim
Pronunciation: WOL-iss; Irish de Bhailís: deh WAL-eesh
History of the Wallace name
Wallace comes from the Norman French le Waleis, 'the Welshman' or more broadly 'the foreigner' - the same word that produced Walsh, making the two names cousins. Wallaces arrived in Ireland by two routes: Anglo-Norman settlers of the medieval period, whose descendants took root in Limerick and Cork and were gaelicised de Bhailís, and much later Scottish planters in Ulster, where Antrim and Down hold the name's greatest modern concentration. In Connemara the Gaelic form was borne by the Irish-language poet Colm de Bhailís, who lived from 1796 to 1906. The name's Irish bearers include Waterford's gift to opera, William Vincent Wallace, composer of Maritana.
Variants: Wallis · Walles · de Bhailís
Famous bearers of the name
- William Vincent Wallace — Waterford-born composer whose opera Maritana conquered Victorian London.
- Sir Richard Wallace — Art collector and benefactor of Lisburn whose treasures form London's Wallace Collection.
- Colm de Bhailís — Connemara Irish-language poet who lived to the age of 110.
- Mick Wallace — Wexford builder turned TD and Member of the European Parliament.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Brien · Ryan · Quinn · Collins · Fitzgerald · McDonnell · Hayes · Cunningham