Wexford Surnames

The surnames of County Wexford reflect the county’s rich and varied settlement history, shaped by successive waves of Gaelic, Norse, Norman, and English influence. Below is a selection of surnames associated with the county, organised by their historical origins.

Breakdowns of the most common surnames recorded in the 1901, 1911, and 1926 censuses are also provided below.

Gaelic

The earliest surnames in the county are of Gaelic origin, with some appearing before the 8th century

Cullen: The Cullen family is primarily found in Dublin and the southeast, particularly in Counties Wexford and Wicklow. The surname is of Gaelic origin and dates from before the 8th century.

Kinsella: This name is of Gaelic origin. It derives from the Irish word “Cinnsealach,” which translates to “Proud.” Kinsella is one of the few Irish surnames that did not use the “Mac” or “O'” prefix.

Cosgrave: The surname Cosgrave derives from Gaelic words that translate to “victorious” and “triumphant.” During the 19th century, there were 159 Cosgrave households recorded in the county. The surname Cosker is an anglicised version of the name.

Larkin: The surname Larkin is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic surname O’Lorcain. The English version of the surname is short for the name Laurence.

Murphy: This is the most popular surname in Ireland. County Wexford in particular was a stronghold for the Murphy clan, as it held several territories there.

Kirwan: The Kirwan family were mostly situated in counties Wexford and Galway. The surname derives from the Gaelic name O’Ciardhubhan.

Norse

The arrival of the Vikings in the 9th century brought Norse-influenced surnames to the region.

Doyle: The name Doyle is of Norse origin and likely appeared in Ireland following the arrival of the Vikings in the 9th century. The name derives from a Gaelic phrase that translates to “the dark stranger.”

Other surnames of Norse origin include:

Higgins: When you trace the name back to its origin, it means “descendant of Vikings.”
McLoughlin: At its root, the surname means “son of the Viking.”

Norman

The Norman invasion of 1169 introduced a distinct group of surnames to the county.

Codd: The Codd family likely arrived in Ireland after the Norman invasion in 1169. A primary valuation property survey from the 1800s shows that there were 159 Codd households in Wexford, far more than in any other county.

Devereux: This surname translates to “from Evreux,” which is a town in the Normandy region of France.

Roche: Roche is an Anglo-Norman surname that appeared in Wexford after the invasion of 1169. The Norman tower house in Ferrycarrig was built by the Roche family during the 1400s.

Whitty: Whitty is an Anglo-Norman surname brought to Ireland in the 13th century. Ballyteigue Castle in Kilmore was built by a Norman settler called Sir Walter de Whitty. The name’s exact origin is uncertain. Variants include Whittey, Whitie, and Whitey.

Rossiter: This surname is of Anglo-Norman and Anglo-Saxon origin. Settlers with this name likely came from places named Rochester in England, though the specific location remains disputed. Some sources point to Kent or Northumberland, while others suggest Lincolnshire. A survey from the 1800s shows that there were 168 Rossiter households in the county.

Stafford: Stafford is an English surname that derives from the town of the same name in the West Midlands of England.

English and Scottish

Later centuries saw the arrival of English and Scottish surnames.

Colfer: The surname Colfer is of English origin, likely an altered form of the English names Culver or Colliver. Wexford author Eoin Colfer is a notable bearer of the name.

Crosbie: The Crosbie family lived primarily in Wexford and Kerry. The name is of Scottish origin.

Shiggins: Shiggins is a relatively rare surname that, during the property survey of 1847-64, appeared exclusively in Wexford.

Census data (1901-1926)

Wexford Hub compiled the names of more than 300,000 people recorded in the 1901, 1911, and 1926 census returns. The top 25 most common surnames across County Wexford during this period were:

Murphy (16,192 – 5.4%)
Doyle (11,577 – 3.8%)
Byrne (5,609 – 1.9%)
Walsh (4,634 – 1.5%)
Furlong (4,548 – 1.5%)
Redmond (4,464 – 1.5%)
Kehoe (4,273 – 1.4%)
Roche (4,134 – 1.4%)
Kavanagh (3,704 – 1.2%)
Kelly (3,417 – 1.1%)
Nolan (3,287 – 1.1%)
Cullen (3,277 – 1.1%)
Sinnott (3,023 – 1.0%)
Kinsella (2,659 – 0.9%)
Ryan (2,603 – 0.9%)
Breen (2,446 – 0.8%)
Whelan (2,399 – 0.8%)
Power (2,380 – 0.8%)
O’Brien (2,240 – 0.7%)
O’Neill (2,140 – 0.7%)
O’Connor (2,121 – 0.7%)
Dempsey (2,091 – 0.7%)
Brien (1,992 – 0.7%)
Connors (1,807 – 0.6%)
Dunne (1,807 – 0.6%)

Notes

Many of these surnames are not distinctively associated with Wexford, as they were common across Ireland as a whole.
Brien is an anglicised version of O’Brien. If both were combined, the surname would be ranked 8th.

Wexford Town (1901-1926)

The top 20 surnames in the Wexford Town area were:

Murphy (2,021 – 5.2%)
Doyle (1,028 – 2.7%)
Roche (925 – 2.4%)
Furlong (768 – 2.0%)
Walsh (722 – 1.9%)
Byrne (693 – 1.8%)
Kehoe (595 – 1.5%)
Kelly (472 – 1.2%)
Nolan (430 – 1.1%)
O’Connor (422 – 1.1%)
Hayes (394 – 1.0%)
Redmond (394 – 1.0%)
Browne (350 – 0.9%)
Sinnott (341 – 0.9%)
Rossiter (308 – 0.8%)
Whelan (296 – 0.8%)
O’Neill (292 – 0.8%)
Cullen (291 – 0.8%)
O’Leary (285 – 0.7%)
Carty (280 – 0.7%)

Enniscorthy (1901-1926)

The top 20 names in the town of Enniscorthy were:

Murphy (1,771 – 6.5%)
Doyle (794 – 2.9%)
Byrne (408 – 1.5%)
Kavanagh (358 – 1.3%)
Nolan (334 – 1.2%)
Kelly (329 – 1.2%)
Redmond (312 – 1.1%)
Cullen (307 – 1.1%)
Walsh (285 – 1.0%)
O’Neill (276 – 1.0%)
O’Connor (271 – 1.0%)
Connors (268 – 1.0%)
Kehoe (267 – 1.0%)
O’Brien (261 – 1.0%)
Brien (249 – 0.9%)
Leary (235 – 0.9%)
O’Leary (226 – 0.8%)
Dempsey (219 – 0.8%)
Roche (213 – 0.8%)
Neill (206 – 0.8%)

Notes

In comparison to Wexford Town:

Norman names dropped significantly. Furlong, Sinnott, and Rossiter disappeared, while Roche dropped from #3 to #19.
Kavanagh, Connors, and O’Leary/Leary appeared for the first time.
O’Brien/Brien, O’Leary/Leary, and O’Neill/Neill are weighted down due to the split across their Irish and English versions.

New Ross (1901-1926)

The top 20 surnames in New Ross:

Murphy (819 – 4.3%)
Doyle (471 – 2.5%)
Walsh (341 – 1.8%)
Kehoe (294 – 1.6%)
Furlong (291 – 1.5%)
Roche (291 – 1.5%)
Nolan (263 – 1.4%)
Cullen (252 – 1.3%)
Ryan (251 – 1.3%)
Power (243 – 1.3%)
Whelan (187 – 1.0%)
Moran (156 – 0.8%)
Kelly (153 – 0.8%)
Byrne (151 – 0.8%)
O’Neill (151 – 0.8%)
Flynn (138 – 0.7%)
Kavanagh (127 – 0.7%)
O’Brien (126 – 0.7%)
Bailey (124 – 0.7%)
Dunne (124 – 0.7%)

Notes

New Ross’s proximity to County Waterford and the wider Munster province is clearly reflected in the data. Power (#10) is a highly concentrated surname in Waterford, while Ryan is a distinctly Munster name rooted in Tipperary and Limerick.
Although Walsh is popular across all lists, it sees a notable boost here due to the town’s proximity to County Kilkenny.
Moran and Flynn make their first appearance in the top 20.

Gorey (1901-1926)

The final top 20 list is for Gorey in the north of County Wexford:

Doyle (521 – 5.1%)
Redmond (412 – 4.0%)
Byrne (321 – 3.1%)
Kavanagh (301 – 2.9%)
Murphy (295 – 2.9%)
Kinsella (217 – 2.1%)
Breen (176 – 1.7%)
Nolan (137 – 1.3%)
Dempsey (135 – 1.3%)
Connors (134 – 1.3%)
Travers (118 – 1.1%)
Sheehan (117 – 1.1%)
Kennedy (95 – 0.9%)
Kenny (93 – 0.9%)
O’Neill (85 – 0.8%)
Fortune (77 – 0.7%)
Sullivan (77 – 0.7%)
Walker (77 – 0.7%)
Earle (71 – 0.7%)
O’Brien (69 – 0.7%)

Notes

Murphy dropped out of 1st place for the first time.
Gorey’s proximity to County Wicklow provided a boost to Byrne (#3), Kavanagh (#4), and Kinsella (#6).
The list introduces a completely new set of names in the lower half, including Travers, Sheehan, Kennedy, Kenny, Fortune, Sullivan, Walker, and Earle.