Surnames by county · Connacht
Most common surnames in County Leitrim
McGowan was the commonest surname in Co. Leitrim in 1911: 1,292 people, about one resident in 49. It was followed by Reynolds, Flynn, Rooney and Kelly.
Counts are people living in the county on census night, with spelling variants combined (Sullivan and O'Sullivan count as one name).
The 25 commonest names, 1911
| # | Surname | People | Per 10,000 | 1901 | 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McGowan | 1,292 | 205 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Reynolds | 1,166 | 185 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Flynn | 1,129 | 179 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Rooney | 1,029 | 163 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Kelly | 871 | 138 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | Gallagher | 787 | 125 | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | Dolan | 780 | 124 | 10 | 12 |
| 8 | Rourke | 728 | 116 | 11 | 9 |
| 9 | McLaughlin | 723 | 115 | 7 | 7 |
| 10 | McMorrow | 711 | 113 | 8 | 10 |
| 11 | O'Reilly | 705 | 112 | 9 | 13 |
| 12 | McGovern | 701 | 111 | 15 | 8 |
| 13 | Maguire | 665 | 106 | 12 | 11 |
| 14 | Moran | 639 | 101 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | Clancy | 566 | 90 | 17 | 16 |
| 16 | McHugh | 548 | 87 | 16 | 15 |
| 17 | Connolly | 520 | 83 | 14 | 18 |
| 18 | McSharry | 458 | 73 | 18 | 19 |
| 19 | Bohan | 451 | 72 | 22 | 17 |
| 20 | Kiernan | 424 | 67 | 19 | 24 |
| 21 | McDermott | 424 | 67 | 24 | 21 |
| 22 | McKeon | 419 | 67 | 21 | 20 |
| 23 | Cullen | 400 | 63 | 23 | 23 |
| 24 | Keany | 398 | 63 | 35 | — |
| 25 | Meehan | 376 | 60 | 28 | 27 |
The 1901 and 1926 columns give the name's rank in the county in that year; a dash means it was outside the top 40. Linked names have a full page with meaning, Irish forms and history.
Names most typical of Leitrim
Among the 100 commonest Irish surnames, these were the most over-represented in Co. Leitrim in 1911, compared with their share of Ireland's population as a whole.
- Flynn 5.58× 1,129 people · 179 per 10,000
- Moran 4.19× 639 people · 101 per 10,000
- McDermott 4.05× 424 people · 67 per 10,000
- Cullen 3.85× 400 people · 63 per 10,000
- Maguire 3.64× 665 people · 106 per 10,000
- McLaughlin 3.47× 723 people · 115 per 10,000
- Gallagher 2.87× 787 people · 125 per 10,000
- Connolly 2.56× 520 people · 83 per 10,000
- Higgins 2.23× 247 people · 39 per 10,000
- Curran 2.19× 228 people · 36 per 10,000
Questions about surnames in Leitrim
What is the most common surname in County Leitrim?
In the 1911 census the most common surname in Co. Leitrim was McGowan, with 1,292 people, or about one resident in 49. The next most common were Reynolds, Flynn, Rooney and Kelly. McGowan was still the commonest name in 1926.
Which surnames are most typical of County Leitrim?
Compared with Ireland as a whole, the names most over-represented in Co. Leitrim in 1911 (among the 100 commonest Irish surnames) were Flynn (5.58× the national rate), Moran (4.19× the national rate), McDermott (4.05× the national rate).
Ancestors from County Leitrim?
Browse every townland and household in Co. Leitrim in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses.