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Irish History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Irish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Irish

What does the name Irish mean?

The roots of the distinguished surname Irish are Old French, the language spoken by the conquerors who came to England in 1066. The name is derived from "Ireis," meaning "Irish," and denotes someone who comes from Ireland.

Early Origins of the Irish family

The surname Irish was first found in Shropshire, where one of the first records of the family was Sir Adam de Ireys (1070-1117), born in the town of Ireys, Dorset, accompanied Godfrey of Bouillon on the First Crusade to help take Jerusalem in 1099. As a result of his valiant efforts, he was knighted and granted the right to bear arms.

His son Hugh D'Iryshe, born c. 1115 had another son, Edmund D'Iryshe (born c. 1150) who died in Jerusalem in the 3rd Crusade with Richard the Lionhearted and was posthumously awarded the St. George's Cross for his valor.

A few years later, Richard Ireis, was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1169. Roger Iryshe (born c. 1120) was Bishop of Carlisle after the death of his older brother, Randolph, who also held the position of Bishop c. 1220 before him.

Early History of the Irish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Irish research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Irish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irish Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Irish include Irish, Irishe, Ireys, Irysh, Iris and others.

Early Notables of the Irish family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard le Irishe, a prominent 13th century landholder

Irish Ranking

In the United States, the name Irish is the 3,647^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Irish family to Ireland

Some of the Irish family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irish migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Irish or a variant listed above:

Irish Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Irish, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 2
John Irish, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1637 2
John Irish, who sailed to New England between 1620 and 1650
Jone Irish, who landed in Virginia in 1653 2
Margarett Irish, who landed in Virginia in 1657 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Irish Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Irish, who landed in New England in 1711 2
Pegg Irish to Potomack, Maryland in 1731
William Irish, who landed in America in 1760-1763 2
William Irish to America in 1763

Irish Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Irish, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
James Irish, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1822 2
Thomas Irish, who arrived in New York in 1841 2
G Irish, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Irish migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Irish Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Levi Irish, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760

Irish Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Peter Irish was registered as a United Empire Loyalist who fled to Canada as a result of the American Revolution

Irish migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Irish Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Edward Irish, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Trafalgar" in 1847 3
Thomas Irish, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Trafalgar" in 1847 3
Samuel Irish, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constance" in 1848 4
Richard Irish, aged 23, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "William Hammond" 5
George Irish, aged 25, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "William Hammond" 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Irish (post 1700) +

Edward S "Ned" Irish (1905-1982), American basketball promoter, president of the New York Knicks (1946-1974), inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964
Carolyn Tanner Irish (b. 1940), American clergyman, the 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah
Ned Irish (1905-1982), American basketball promoter
Mark Irish (b. 1981), English rugby player
Fred Irish, Arizona football coach, 1896-1906
Sir Ronald Arthur Irish (b. 1913), Australian business executive, Chairman of Rothmans of Pall Mall (Australia)
George Irish, Montserrat academic, professor of Caribbean studies
Fatima Irish Fullerton (b. 1983), American singer and actress
Estelle Irish Pillsbury, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1932 6
Irish Grinstead (1980-2023), former member of the 702 group American girl group which featured the Grinstead sisters

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TRAFALGAR 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Trafalgar.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE - 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Constance.htm
South Australian Register Wednesday 20th January 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Willaim Hammond 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamhammond1854.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html