Surnames by county · Connacht
Most common surnames in County Mayo
Walsh was the commonest surname in Co. Mayo in 1911: 4,514 people, about one resident in 43. It was followed by Gallagher, O'Malley, Moran 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 | Walsh | 4,514 | 235 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Gallagher | 3,263 | 170 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | O'Malley | 2,857 | 149 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Moran | 2,714 | 141 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Kelly | 2,697 | 140 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | Burke | 2,431 | 127 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Murphy | 2,246 | 117 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Duffy | 1,937 | 101 | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | McHale | 1,655 | 86 | 9 | 10 |
| 10 | Joyce | 1,621 | 84 | 11 | 12 |
| 11 | McDonnell | 1,562 | 81 | 12 | 9 |
| 12 | Gibbons | 1,528 | 80 | 10 | 11 |
| 13 | Barrett | 1,313 | 68 | 18 | 15 |
| 14 | O'Reilly | 1,297 | 68 | 15 | 13 |
| 15 | Loftus | 1,215 | 63 | 14 | 20 |
| 16 | Keane | 1,209 | 63 | 20 | 14 |
| 17 | Lavelle | 1,209 | 63 | 21 | 26 |
| 18 | O'Donnell | 1,186 | 62 | 24 | 18 |
| 19 | Durkan | 1,180 | 61 | 13 | 34 |
| 20 | Sweeney | 1,179 | 61 | 16 | 16 |
| 21 | Doherty | 1,165 | 61 | 17 | 17 |
| 22 | Conway | 1,149 | 60 | 22 | 21 |
| 23 | Boyle | 1,145 | 60 | 25 | 25 |
| 24 | O'Connor | 1,092 | 57 | 19 | 22 |
| 25 | Brennan | 1,037 | 54 | 29 | 24 |
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 Mayo
Among the 100 commonest Irish surnames, these were the most over-represented in Co. Mayo in 1911, compared with their share of Ireland's population as a whole.
- Moran 5.84× 2,714 people · 141 per 10,000
- McDonnell 4.03× 1,562 people · 81 per 10,000
- Gallagher 3.9× 3,263 people · 170 per 10,000
- Duffy 3.64× 1,937 people · 101 per 10,000
- Burke 2.99× 2,431 people · 127 per 10,000
- Keane 2.97× 1,209 people · 63 per 10,000
- Higgins 2.85× 961 people · 50 per 10,000
- Walsh 2.78× 4,514 people · 235 per 10,000
- Lyons 2.77× 918 people · 48 per 10,000
- Sweeney 2.39× 1,179 people · 61 per 10,000
Questions about surnames in Mayo
What is the most common surname in County Mayo?
In the 1911 census the most common surname in Co. Mayo was Walsh, with 4,514 people, or about one resident in 43. The next most common were Gallagher, O'Malley, Moran and Kelly. Walsh was still the commonest name in 1926.
Which surnames are most typical of County Mayo?
Compared with Ireland as a whole, the names most over-represented in Co. Mayo in 1911 (among the 100 commonest Irish surnames) were Moran (5.84× the national rate), McDonnell (4.03× the national rate), Gallagher (3.9× the national rate).
Ancestors from County Mayo?
Browse every townland and household in Co. Mayo in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses.