Irish name

A first name may be modified by an adjective to distinguish its bearer from other people with the same name. ' ("big") and ' ("young") are used to distinguish parent and child, like "senior" and "junior" are used in English, but are placed between the given name and the surname, e.g. corresponds to "John O'Sullivan Jr." (anglicised surnames often omit , leaving no trace of original e.g. "John Sullivan Jr.") The word '''''' ("little") can be used in place of . This does not necessarily indicate that the younger person is smaller in stature, merely younger than their parent or in some cases to imply a baby was small, possibly premature, at birth. Adjectives denoting hair colour may also be used, especially informally, e.g. ("red-haired Patrick"), ("fair-haired Mary"). Traditional Gaeltacht names Colloquially in (Irish-speaking areas) and some other areas it remains customary to use a name formed by the first name (or nickname), followed by the father and the paternal grandfather's name, both in the genitive case, e.g. (Seán O'Casey), son of , son of , would be known to his neighbours as . Occasionally, if the mother or grandmother was a well-known person locally, her name may be used instead. If the mother's name is used, then the maternal grandfather or grandmother may follow it, e.g. . This system can be particularly useful for distinguishing people who live in the same area and who share a common surname but are not closely related, e.g. two people named John McEldowney might be known as "John Patsy Dan" and "John Mary Philip" respectively. Even the Irish forms sometimes survive in parts of the Sperrins, so that among the principal families of Glenullin some branches are known by father/grandfather forms such as or . ==Surnames==

Ó and Mac surnames A man's surname is generally formed by ' ("descendant"; historically ) or ' ("son") followed by a name or definite noun (often a profession) in the genitive case, e.g. (literally "descendant of Dónall") and (literally "son of Jordan"). When is followed by a vowel, a (lowercase) is attached to the vowel, e.g. (O'Higgins) or (Hughes). A woman's surname replaces with '''''' (reduction of "descendant's daughter") and with '''''' (reduction of "son's daughter"). In both cases the following name undergoes lenition, except for when is followed by or . Thus the daughter of has the surname and the daughter of a has the surname . In Ulster it is common for a woman who adopts her husband name to just use or rather than the forms seen below. If a woman marries a man, she may choose to take his surname. In this case, is replaced by '''''' ("descendant's wife") and by '''''' ("son's wife"). In both cases may be omitted, which results in ' or '. In both cases the following name undergoes lenition, except for when is followed by or . Thus a woman marrying may choose to adopt or as her surname and a woman marrying may choose to adopt or as her surname. , , and are sometimes used instead of , , and before a vowel or (which is silent) followed by a vowel. Other surnames Norman surnames formed by (always lowercase; "of") followed by a name, e.g. (Burke), (Power), or (Hide, Hyde). Some names consist of ("servant's son") or ("follower's descendant") followed by a name in the genitive case, e.g. , . ==Examples of first names and surnames==

Notable examples of first names and surnames Many Irish people use English (or anglicised) forms of their names in English-language contexts and Irish forms in Irish-language contexts. The Irish names of some people more famous under their English names include: Other people are generally better known by their Irish name than by their English name, including the following: ==See also==