[dave2pvd]

Originally Posted by pinkypinky

Actually, it's 20 US Presidents that have some level of Irish ancestry - 11 before 1900ish and then all since JFK excluding Gerald Ford.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/dir/pres.htm

Of course ancestry and came from are 2 different things.

[cormacocomhrai]

[QUOTE=pedroeibar1;78713320] Anyway, the top four names on the list - Smith, Brown, Lee & Wilson - would certainly contain Irish families (McGabhann, de Brun, Laoi and McWilliam).

That's the very point I was trying to make in the post immediately before yours.



The anglicization I love of O’Cathain, which is Keane or Kane but Coen in Galway.

I'm not sure about that one. I think Coen is actually Ó Cadhain which is the same name as Kyne, Coyne and Barnacle.

[Cork boy 55]

here is a good website looks accuate
it breaks down the surnames
by number /frequnecy/rank

and then ranks them in list's
Rank: 1 - 1000 | 1001 - 2000 | 2001 - 5000 | 5001 - 8000
8001 - 12000 | 12001 - 16000 | 16001 - 100000

You can also filter by race,state and others


http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm

All data is derived from David L. Word, Charles D. Coleman, Robert Nunziata and Robert Kominski (2008). "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000". U.S. Census Bureau.

[wonton]

interesting replies lads !

ye so I think the biggest thing is the inconsistent spelling of irish names and different versions.

probably influenced by the fact of low literacy rates with the immigrants and possibly the officials in america taking their names not being familiar (or maybe caring that much) and thus various spellins arouse, along with people themselves anglicising them.

Just looking at the list above an example of this connor,donahue, mcginnis,shea,dougherty which are obviously come from the more common irish forms o'connor, o'donoghue , mcguinnes, o' shea and o 'doherty.

[purplepanda]

A lot of those US supposed English names are very common in Wales. There's a dozen or more in the list.

I know that many freed Black former slaves took Welsh names due to Welsh nonconformist support for the abolition of slavery & many early black minister & churches were influenced by Welsh christian denominations.

Many names on that list are common enough in Ireland , King, Taylor, Moore, Martin, White, Harris, Clarke, Allen, Green, Hill, Campbell, Turner, Morris.

[dubhthach]

Surnames can "daughter out" after all. Look at Mark Wahlberg he's more Irish then his swedish surname lets on. This is why he would be classed as Irish-American (Father is half swedish, half irish -- mother has some Irish ancestry). In his case his Irish surnames are all on female lines.

[dave2pvd]

So just how many Americans that claim Irish descent are Scots-Irish? With names like Andrew Jackson. So many 'Irish' in the part of the US that I live in are this breed of Irish. Granted, some are O's or Mc's, but few and far between. Many of their ancestors came in the late 18th century and settled in the Appalachians. Many were Presbyterian. Back then, the majority of Irish immigration was Protestant.

[owenc]

Originally Posted by dave2pvd

So just how many Americans that claim Irish descent are Scots-Irish? With names like Andrew Jackson. So many 'Irish' in the part of the US that I live in are this breed of Irish. Granted, some are O's or Mc's, but few and far between. Many of their ancestors came in the late 18th century and settled in the Appalachians. Many were Presbyterian. Back then, the majority of Irish immigration was Protestant.

Loads. Americans seem to take the irish side of things when it comes to this probably because they are a little ignorant of these things. I have 2nd cousins in america and they put themselves down as irish when they really aren't. I think they arrived in the 19th century though.

[dave2pvd]

Originally Posted by owenc

Americans seem to take the irish side of things when it comes to this probably because they are a little ignorant of these things.

Why do you say that?

[wonton]

Originally Posted by dave2pvd

So just how many Americans that claim Irish descent are Scots-Irish? With names like Andrew Jackson. So many 'Irish' in the part of the US that I live in are this breed of Irish. Granted, some are O's or Mc's, but few and far between. Many of their ancestors came in the late 18th century and settled in the Appalachians. Many were Presbyterian. Back then, the majority of Irish immigration was Protestant.

about 2% of the population report scots irish, but in states like georgia where american is the biggest reported ancestry a lot of them are scots irish but since they have been there so long dont identify with it

[pedroeibar1]

[QUOTE=cormacocomhrai;78715893]

Originally Posted by pedroeibar1

The anglicization I love of O’Cathain, which is Keane or Kane but Coen in Galway.

I'm not sure about that one. I think Coen is actually Ó Cadhain which is the same name as Kyne, Coyne and Barnacle.

Thanks for that CO'C, it makes more sense.
P.

[cormacocomhrai]

[QUOTE=pedroeibar1;78751342]

Originally Posted by cormacocomhrai

Thanks for that CO'C, it makes more sense.
P.

No worries. I'm not fully sure of it though. I'd have to check it out and I can't find my copy of de Bhuilbh's Sloinnte Gael is Gall.

[cormacocomhrai]

Originally Posted by dubhthach

Surnames can "daughter out" after all. Look at Mark Wahlberg he's more Irish then his swedish surname lets on. This is why he would be classed as Irish-American (Father is half swedish, half irish -- mother has some Irish ancestry). In his case his Irish surnames are all on female lines.

at the risk of derailing the thread
Bruce Springsteen is the same, a strong Irish influence through his father despite the name.
Gregory Peck was very closely related to Thomas Ashe who died after force-feeding while on hunger strike in 1917.
Martin Short the Canadian actor is of Crossmaglen stock.
Robert de Niro is the same.
Muhammed Ali is a Clareman and Che Guevara a Galwayman of course.

More seriously the names Folan and Powell from Galway have become Foley and Power in Connemara after sojourns in the States.

[tac foley]

Originally Posted by cormacocomhrai

More seriously the names Folan and Powell from Galway have become Foley and Power in Connemara after sojourns in the States.

'Foley' is said to have been derived from the Old Irish 'foghláda/foghládha - 'raider' or 'plunderer' - a clear pointer to Viking/Norse/Danish inroaders.

And of course, we must not overlook the present US president - Bairác Ó Bamheadhe.

tac

[Cork boy 55]

How many people in the USA have an O'x in their surname?
it seems to be very few, Although characters with o'x names do seem tp appear in many hollywood movies.