The O’Sullivan Clan Branch Names
O’Sullivan Barrule: From the Irish word for opinionated.
O’Sullivan Barry
O’Sullivan Bawn: From the Gaelic word for white.
O’Sullivan Bearnach: From the Irish word bearna, meaning
gap.
O’Sullivan Breac: From the Gaelic word for freckled.
O’Sullivan Brohill
O’Sullivan Buaig: Descended from Buadhach, an old Irish name
meaning victor.
O’Sullivan Ceartan: From the Gaelic word cearta, meaning
forge.
O’Sullivan Cladig (Claddy): From the Gaelic word cladach,
meaning seashore.
O’Sullivan Cohu: From the Gaelic word for quartermaster.
O’Sullivan Coulagh: From the townland of Coulagh in Eyeries
Parish.
O’Sullivan Croumhane: From the townland of Croumhane in
Eyeries Parish.
O’Sullivan Cumba: From the French word combat (pronounced
‘cumba’), meaning fight. Descendants of the Irish Brigade who fought for France
in the seventeenth century.
O’Sullivan Doran: Descended from Cathal, a younger brother
of Maccraith ([95] in the Oak and Serpent).
O’Sullivan Dorohy: From the Gaelic word for dark haired.
O’Sullivan Downey
(Downings): A family originally from County
Kerry.
O’Sullivan Doyle (Diel/Deel): A tribe whose matriarch was
from the Doyle clan.
O’Sullivan Drummond: From the Gaelic word droimeann, meaning
white-backed cow.
O’Sullivan Fune: From the Gaelic word for fair haired.
O’Sullivan Galldha: From the Gaelic word for foreigner. To curry favor with the English,
Owen O’Sullivan Beara turned on his first cousin, Donal Cam, after the Irish
were defeated at Kinsale in 1601. As a reward for his treachery, Queen
Elizabeth granted him all of his cousin’s lands and properties. Unfortunately
for Owen, however, he was despised by his own people because of his cowardice
and greed and his descendants were contemptuously nicknamed the “O’Sullivan
Galldha” or “Foreigner O’Sullivans”.
O’Sullivan Garuv: From the Irish word garbh, meaning rugged
or rocky, as in Glengarriff (gleann garbh, rugged glen).
O’Sullivan Giles: This family originated in Giles Hill,
Greenane.
O’Sullivan Glanny: From the Irish word gleann, meaning glen.
O’Sullivan Glas: From the Gaelic word for green. A variation
of the O’Sullivan Uonhi tribe.
O’Sullivan Gow: From the Gaelic word for blacksmith.
O’Sullivan Green: Another variation of the O’Sullivan Uonhi
and O’Sullivan Glas families.
O’Sullivan Hurrig: From the Gaelic word corrach, meaning
marshland.
O’Sullivan Island: From the English
word island. This family was originally from Whiddy
Island.
O’Sullivan Keagh: From the Irish word for blind.
O’Sullivan Labhras (Lawras, Lawson): Descended from a cadet
branch of the O’Sullivan Beara sept.
O’Sullivan Lowney: This family originated along the banks of the Laune
River in Killorglin, Co. Kerry.
O’Sullivan MacCragh (MacCraith; MacCrath, McGrath, Crah,
Cra, Cragh, Craith, Greath, etc.): Descended from Cragh ([103] in the Oak and Serpent), the O’Sullivan
Mor circa 1400 AD. The most senior tribe of the O’Sullivan Clan.
O’Sullivan MacCrohan: Descended from Crohan.
O’Sullivan MacElligott: Descended from Elligott.
O’Sullivan MacGillycuddy: Descended from Giolla Mochuda, or
“servant of St. Mochuda”. Giolla Mochuda was the younger brother of Murtagh Mor
([99] in the Oak and Serpent). St. Mochuda was the founder of the seventh
century Lismore monastery, Waterford.
O’Sullivan Maol (MacFinin Duibh): Descended from a cadet
branch of the O’Sullivan Beara.
O’Sullivan Master: From the English word for schoolmaster.
O’Sullivan McAuliffe: Descended from Auliffe.
O’Sullivan McOwen: Descended from Owen, an old Irish name
meaning river.
O’Sullivan McShane
O’Sullivan Mor: Descended from a cadet branch of the
O’Sullivan Vera.
O’Sullivan Mountain: From the English word for mountain.
O’Sullivan Quille: From the Irish word coill, meaning woods.
O’Sullivan Rabach: From the Irish word for daring and wreckless.
O’Sullivan Rider: Horseback mail carriers.
O’Sullivan Rochtirre:
From the Gaelic word for land steward.
O’Sullivan Rua: From the Gaelic word for red, as in
red-headed.
O’Sullivan Sailor: From the English word for seaman.
O’Sullivan Seer: From the Gaelic word saor, meaning
tradesman. It is uncertain as to which trade this sept belonged. Masons were
known as Saor Cloiche; boatwrights were
Saor Baid; carpenters were Saor Adhmaid; ship carpenters were Saor Loinge;
millwrights were Saor Muilinn; bricklayers were Saor Brici; wheelwrights were
Saor Rotha.
O’Sullivan Shearhig: Descended from Shearhig (Jeffrey).
O’Sullivan Silver: From the English word silver.
O’Sullivan Skilty: From the Gaelic word scil, meaning skill.
O’Sullivan Suonish: From the Irish word for peaceful.
O’Sullivan Tailor: From the English word for garment maker.
Descended from Paddy the tailor.
O’Sullivan Ukirre: From the Gaelic word for tucker or cloth
finisher.
O’Sullivan Uonhi: From the ancient Irish word for green. This
family descended from the Corca Laoi, a tribe that inhabited Beara long before
the O’Sullivan clan arrived. They adopted the name “O’Sullivan” to fit in. Due
to intermarriage, they all have O’Sullivan blood today.
O’Sullivan Vallig: From the Irish word bealach, meaning
passageway. This sept originally lived around Ballaghbue (bealach baoi meaning
passageway to Dursey Island).
The Irish name for Dursey Island
is Baoi Bheara.
O’Sullivan Vera: Descended from Rory, younger brother of
Cragh ([103] in the Oak and Serpent).
Sughrues: This name referred to the helot class of the
O’Sullivan clan. Like the Uonhis, they were not originally blood related to the
O’Sullivan family, but gradually intermarried.
Adapted from the work of Riobard O'Dwyer, 1976.
|