surnames.ie

Irish surname · 10th most common in 1911

O'Neill

Also spelt Neill, ONeil

O'Neill comes from the Irish Ó Néill, 'descendant of Niall'. The best-known family took its name from Niall Glúndub, a High King killed in 919, and ruled Tír Eoghain in Ulster for centuries, but unrelated O'Neill families also existed in Clare, Carlow and Tipperary.

Irish Ó NéillIrish Ua Néill
1901 census
25,152
#10 · 57 per 10,000
1911 census
25,475
#10 · 58 per 10,000
1926 census
17,146
#14 · 58 per 10,000
Most numerous
Antrim
Highest share: Carlow

Language & meaning

Meaning & Irish forms

Gaelic Gaelic Irish: a patronymic surname borne by several unrelated families, the chief of them the royal O'Neills of Tír Eoghain in Ulster.[1]

Ó Néill
“descendant of Niall”[1][2]
Woulfe's headword. The older spelling Ua Néill gave way to Ó Néill over time.
Ua Néill
“grandson or descendant of Niall”[2]
The earlier form found in the annals; 'ua' means grandson or descendant.

The name is built on the personal name Niall, usually explained as “champion”. Woulfe and Wikipedia both gloss Niall as 'champion'. Wiktionary treats the original meaning as uncertain, listing 'champion' and 'cloud' among the suggestions.[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

O'Neill: oh-NEEL

Place

Where the O'Neills lived

How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.

Donegal: 6 per 10,000 (102 people) Waterford: 79.3 per 10,000 (653 people) Dublin: 64.3 per 10,000 (3,090 people) Kilkenny: 101.9 per 10,000 (765 people) Carlow: 204.8 per 10,000 (744 people) Limerick: 52.7 per 10,000 (756 people) Louth: 63.2 per 10,000 (398 people) Tipperary: 57.1 per 10,000 (872 people) Roscommon: 14.5 per 10,000 (136 people) Meath: 30.7 per 10,000 (200 people) Wicklow: 106.3 per 10,000 (647 people) Cavan: 12.4 per 10,000 (113 people) Cork: 72.6 per 10,000 (2,855 people) Clare: 62.1 per 10,000 (649 people) Galway: 24.7 per 10,000 (450 people) Mayo: 19.9 per 10,000 (383 people) Sligo: 6.8 per 10,000 (54 people) Leitrim: 33.8 per 10,000 (213 people) Offaly: 30 per 10,000 (171 people) Laois: 49.5 per 10,000 (271 people) Kildare: 69.7 per 10,000 (466 people) Kerry: 73 per 10,000 (1,167 people) Monaghan: 41.5 per 10,000 (297 people) Wexford: 102 per 10,000 (1,045 people) Longford: 35.8 per 10,000 (157 people) Westmeath: 41.4 per 10,000 (249 people) Tyrone: 120.6 per 10,000 (1,723 people) Antrim: 68.6 per 10,000 (3,278 people) Armagh: 71 per 10,000 (850 people) Fermanagh: 14.5 per 10,000 (88 people) Londonderry: 87.1 per 10,000 (1,217 people) Down: 46.3 per 10,000 (1,416 people)
fewerup to 226 per 10,000

Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.

Highest concentration · 1911

Carlow

205 per 10,000

744 O'Neills · 3.53× the national share

Highest share, 1911

  1. Carlow 205
  2. Tyrone 121
  3. Wicklow 106
  4. Wexford 102
  5. Kilkenny 102
  6. Londonderry 87
  7. Waterford 79
  8. Kerry 73

Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.

County figures as a table
County190119111926Per 10k 1901Per 10k 1911Per 10k 1926
Antrim3,2113,278—7069—
Armagh849850—6871—
Carlow843744701226205204
Cavan93113128101216
Clare715649641646268
Cork2,8512,8552,644717373
Donegal105102113667
Down1,2811,416—4446—
Dublin2,7823,0903,568636471
Fermanagh8588—1315—
Galway420450410222524
Kerry1,2641,1671,117767375
Kildare459466517757089
Kilkenny67976585890102121
Laois248271281435055
Leitrim232213168333430
Limerick747756773515355
Londonderry1,2101,217—8487—
Longford150157164323641
Louth412398426636368
Mayo375383353192020
Meath228200200323132
Monaghan273297283374244
Offaly140171151233029
Roscommon160136139161517
Sligo705451977
Tipperary844872817535758
Tyrone1,7961,723—119121—
Waterford630653673727986
Westmeath280249251454144
Wexford1,0821,0451,056104102111
Wicklow638647663107106116

Local strongholds in 1911

District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where O'Neills made up the largest share of the population. In Meenagh, Co. Tyrone, about one resident in 7 was a O'Neill.

DEDCountyO'NeillsShare
MeenaghTyrone196 13.8%
KnocksCork50 13.6%
DysartmoonKilkenny37 11.6%
BrandonKerry72 10.8%
DoonaneLaois33 9.0%
ClenorCork36 8.7%
CurryglassCork78 8.5%
MyshallCarlow34 8.5%

Origins

Septs & territories

Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct O'Neill lineages described in the sources.

A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.

Ó Néill of Tír Eoghain

Tír Eoghain (Tyrone), with lands in Derry and much of Donegal · Tyrone, Derry, Donegal

The leading family of the Cenél nEógain, descended from Niall Glúndub. Woulfe calls them one of the most illustrious families in Ireland, prominent as chiefs of Tír Eoghain and kings of Ulster from the 11th to the 17th century. Wikipedia dates their sovereign kingship of Tír Eógain to 1232–1616; their chief seat was Dungannon and their chiefs were inaugurated at Tullyhogue.[1][4][5][6]

Clann Aodha Bhuidhe (Clandeboye O'Neills)

Clandeboye, east of the River Bann in south Antrim and north Down · Antrim, Down

A branch of the Tyrone O'Neills named after Aodh Buidhe (Hugh the Blond), which Woulfe says settled in Antrim and Down in the 14th century as the Earldom of Ulster collapsed. Its kings were inaugurated at Castlereagh and also held Shane's Castle (Edenduffcarrick) on Lough Neagh. The lordship split into Upper and Lower Clandeboye and was broken up in the early 17th century, when Hamilton and Montgomery planted it with Scottish settlers.[1][7][8]

O'Neills of the Fews

The Fews, south Armagh · Armagh

A sub-lordship in Co. Armagh held under the Tyrone O'Neills. The Crown seized its estates after the Williamite War, and a Fews line later served in Spain.[4]

Ó Néill of Thomond

Clann Dealbhaoith, in the barony of Bunratty · Clare

A Dalcassian family unrelated to the Ulster O'Neills. Woulfe, following Keating, traces it to Aodh Caomh, king of Cashel in the late 6th century, and says its chief ruled Clann Dealbhaoith in south Clare. Local tradition, he adds, regarded the O'Nihills and the Creaghs as offshoots of this family.[1]

Ó Néill of Leinster

Magh-dá-chon (Moyacomb), barony of Rathvilly, extending into Shillelagh; also called Farren O'Neill · Carlow, Wicklow

An old Leinster family whose patrimony lay on the Carlow–Wicklow border. The Annals of the Four Masters record the death of Ó Néill of Magh-dá-chon in 1088, in a battle near Dublin between Munster and Leinster forces.[1]

Ó Néill of the Déise

southern Co. Tipperary · Tipperary

Woulfe briefly notes a fourth O'Neill family seated in the Déise country in the south of present-day Tipperary. He gives no further detail.[1]

The name over time

History

Niall Glúndub and the first O'Neills

The Ulster O'Neills take their name from Niall Glúndub, king of Ailech and High King of Ireland, who was killed fighting the Norse near Dublin in 919. He belonged to the Cenél nEógain, the branch of the Northern Uí Néill descended from Eógan, a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Sources differ on who first used Ua Néill as a fixed surname. Woulfe names Niall's grandson Domhnall, who appears in the annals in 943, while Wikipedia credits his great-grandson Flaithbertach. Either way, the surname was in use by the late 10th century.[1][4][2][9]

Kings of Tír Eoghain

The Cenél nEógain began in Inishowen, with their royal seat at Ailech, and gradually pushed east into what are now Tyrone and Derry. By the 11th century their centre had moved to Tullyhogue near Cookstown. Wikipedia dates their kingship of Tír Eoghain from 1232 to 1616, and in 1241 they defeated the rival Mac Lochlainn line. Their chiefs were made 'The O'Neill' at Tullyhogue Fort, where the O'Hagans kept the site and the O'Cahans took part in the ceremony, and Dungannon was their chief residence for centuries. The family claimed the title of king of Ulster from 1317.[10][4][6][5][11]

Earls of Tyrone and the Nine Years' War

Under Henry VIII's policy of surrender and regrant, Conn Bacach O'Neill submitted in 1541 and was made Earl of Tyrone. A violent succession struggle followed, in which his son Shane fought kinsmen and the Crown for the lordship until his death in 1567. Conn's grandson Hugh O'Neill took the forbidden title of The O'Neill at Tullyhogue in 1595 and led the Gaelic confederacy of the Nine Years' War. He submitted in 1603, days after Elizabeth I died, and in 1607 left Ireland in the Flight of the Earls. Lord Mountjoy had the inauguration stone at Tullyhogue smashed to mark the end of O'Neill rule; sources date this between 1602 and 1607.[4][12][13][6]

1641 and the Confederate wars

Two O'Neills dominated Ulster during the wars of the 1640s. Sir Phelim O'Neill of Kinard began the Ulster rising on 23 October 1641 and joined the Catholic Confederation the following year. His kinsman Owen Roe O'Neill had spent most of his life in the Spanish army in Flanders. He came home after the rising to command the Confederate Ulster Army and died in 1649. Sir Phelim went into hiding after the Cromwellian conquest but was captured and executed in 1653. Woulfe singles out Shane, Hugh, Sir Phelim and Owen Roe as the last famous bearers of the name in Gaelic Ireland.[1][14][15]

O'Neills in Europe and the Americas

Woulfe notes that several O'Neills served continental powers with distinction. Descendants of Hugh O'Neill kept the earldom of Tyrone in Spanish exile and commanded an Irish regiment in the Spanish army through the 17th century. Other O'Neills fought in the Irish Brigade in France, at Malplaquet and Fontenoy among other battles. Arturo O'Neill, born in Dublin in 1736, governed Yucatán and West Florida for Spain and was created Marqués del Norte in 1805. Wikipedia notes that several later claims to princely O'Neill descent, including Portuguese and Martinique lines, are disputed or unproven.[1][4][16]

Places linked to the name

  • Tullyhogue Fort, Co. Tyrone — Inauguration site of the O'Neill chiefs, kept by the O'Hagans. Hugh O'Neill's in 1595 was the last.[6]
  • Dungannon (Dún Geanainn), Co. Tyrone — Chief seat of the O'Neills of Tír Eoghain for centuries, where they built a castle on the hill.[5]
  • Shane's Castle (Edenduffcarrick), Co. Antrim — Clandeboye O'Neill castle on the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, built in 1345 and renamed after Shane McBrian O'Neill.[8][7]
  • Castlereagh, Co. Down — A principal seat of the Clandeboye O'Neills, where their kings were inaugurated.[7]
  • Moyacomb (Magh-dá-chon), Co. Carlow — Patrimony of the Leinster O'Neills, a parish in the barony of Rathvilly reaching into Shillelagh, Co. Wicklow.[1]

Everyday lives

The O'Neills in the census

Who the O'Neills were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.

O'Neills All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the O'Neill bar

Religion, 1911

Catholic +12.4 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 86.0%
All of Ireland 73.6%
Church of Ireland −5.7 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 7.5%
All of Ireland 13.2%
Presbyterian −5.1 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 5.0%
All of Ireland 10.1%
Methodist & other −1.6 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 1.5%
All of Ireland 3.1%

Irish language

Spoke Irish, 1901 −2.2 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 13.1%
All of Ireland 15.3%
Spoke Irish, 1911 −1.5 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 12.0%
All of Ireland 13.5%
Spoke Irish, 1926 · 26 counties −1.3 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 12.2%
All of Ireland 13.5%

140 O'Neills spoke Irish only in 1901.

Reading & writing

Could read and write, 1901 · aged 15+ −1.0 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 79.4%
All of Ireland 80.4%
Could read and write, 1911 · aged 15+ −0.7 points vs Ireland
O'Neills 85.1%
All of Ireland 85.8%

Family life, 1911

Household size · 5,361 households lower than Ireland
O'Neills 4.7
All of Ireland 4.83
Children born per mother · women 45–59 higher than Ireland
O'Neills 6.69
All of Ireland 6.46
Children still living about the same as Ireland
O'Neills 79.7%
All of Ireland 79.8%

Commonest occupations

Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.

Farmer4,006
Farmer's son1,750
Farmer's daughter1,028
General labourer921
Agricultural labourer812
Farm servant673
Labourer665
House keeper586
Farm labourer472
Domestic servant457

Born outside Ireland

2.9% of O'Neills in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.

England481
Scotland153
United States68
India9
Canada4
Australia & NZ4

Median age: 24 in 1901, 25 in 1911.

Given names

First names among the O'Neills

Men and boys

  1. John4,822
  2. Patrick3,436
  3. James3,171
  4. Michael2,293
  5. Thomas2,186
  6. William1,662
  7. Joseph816
  8. Daniel738
  9. Edward730
  10. Hugh608

Women and girls

  1. Mary5,499
  2. Bridget2,097
  3. Margaret2,010
  4. Ellen1,626
  5. Catherine1,342
  6. Annie1,309
  7. Elizabeth1,049
  8. Kate890
  9. Sarah823
  10. Maggie685

All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Michael, Thomas; Mary, Margaret, Bridget, Annie, Ellen.

Spellings

Spellings

This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.

Spelling190119111926Records
O'Neill17,01018,46115,231Search
Neill6,9756,0791,616Search
ONeil1,167935299Search

Related forms

  • Neill — Woulfe lists it among the anglicised forms of Ó Néill, without the O prefix.[1]
  • O'Neal / Neale — Woulfe and Wikipedia list these among the English spellings of Ó Néill.[1][2]
  • O'Neil / O'Niall / O'Neall — Spelling variants that arose when the name was written down in English.[2]
  • MacNeill — A different name, Mac Néill ('son of Niall'). Woulfe places it mainly with a Scottish clan of Gigha and Barra, probably the source of the Antrim and Derry MacNeills, and with a branch of the Uí Fiachrach in Mayo.[17]
  • MacShane / Johnson — The MacShane O'Neills descended from Shane O'Neill's sons. One line later anglicised MacShane as Johnson.[4]

Diaspora

The O'Neills abroad

Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:

SpellingPeopleUS rank
O'Neill50,028689th
Neill9,4043768th
ONeil28,9491220th

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).

Heraldry

Is there a O'Neill coat of arms?

Arms belonged to particular people and families, not to everyone of a surname, so there is no single O'Neill 'family crest'. The emblem tied most closely to the Ulster O'Neills is a red hand: Wikipedia gives the early arms of the senior line as a red left hand on white, later shown as a right hand. The earliest clearly dated O'Neill use is on the seal of Aodh Reamhar Ó Néill (king 1344–64), but the de Burgh earls of Ulster used a red hand earlier, and its legendary origins are disputed. The motto 'Lámh Dhearg Éireann' is reported only from a family-name website.[4][11]

Websites selling a single “O'Neill family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.

People

Notable people named O'Neill

  • Conn Bacach O'Neill (1484–1559)
    Lord of Tyrone who submitted to Henry VIII and became the first Earl of Tyrone.
  • Shane O'Neill (c. 1530–1567)
    Ulster chieftain who fought rival kinsmen and the Crown to become The O'Neill.
  • Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (c. 1550–1616)
    The 'Great Earl' who led the Nine Years' War, then left in the Flight of the Earls.
  • Owen Roe O'Neill (c. 1585–1649)
    Spanish-army veteran who commanded the Confederate Ulster Army in the 1640s.
  • Sir Phelim O'Neill (1604–1653)
    Politician and soldier who began the 1641 rising in Ulster; executed after the Cromwellian conquest.
  • Arturo O'Neill (1736–1814)
    Dublin-born Spanish officer, governor of West Florida, created Marqués del Norte.
  • Francis O'Neill (1848–1936)
    Irish-born Chicago police officer and a hugely influential collector of Irish traditional music.
  • Maire O'Neill (1886–1952)
    Irish stage and film actress, the first Pegeen Mike in Synge's The Playboy of the Western World.
  • Eugene O'Neill (1888–1953)
    American playwright, Nobel laureate and winner of four Pulitzer Prizes for Drama.
  • Tip O'Neill (1912–1994)
    Boston Democrat who served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, 1977–1987.
  • Terence O'Neill (1914–1990)
    Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1963 to 1969 and a reforming unionist.
  • Martin O'Neill (born 1952)
    Northern Irish midfielder turned football manager, whose clubs have included Celtic.

Questions

Questions about the O'Neill name

Is O'Neill an Irish surname?

Yes. O'Neill is the English form of the Gaelic Ó Néill, 'descendant of Niall'. The most famous family of the name ruled Tír Eoghain in Ulster from the Middle Ages until the Flight of the Earls in 1607. Woulfe also records separate, unrelated O'Neill families in Clare, Carlow and Wicklow, and south Tipperary, so not every O'Neill descends from the Ulster kings.[1][2]

What is O'Neill in Irish?

The Irish form is Ó Néill, meaning 'descendant of Niall'. The early annals write it Ua Néill, ua being the old word for grandson or descendant. Woulfe lists O'Neill, O'Neal, Neill and Neale as its English forms. Mac Néill, 'son of Niall', is a separate surname.[1][2][17]

How do you pronounce O'Neill?

In English it is said 'oh-NEEL', with the stress on the second syllable. Wiktionary transcribes it /əʊˈniːl/ in British English and /oʊˈnil/ in American English, so the only difference is the vowel of the first syllable. The variant O'Neal is said the same way.[2][18]

Where does the O'Neill name come from?

It comes from the personal name Niall, usually glossed as 'champion'. The Ulster O'Neills take it from Niall Glúndub, High King of Ireland, who was killed fighting the Norse near Dublin in 919. His grandson or great-grandson (sources differ) was the first to bear it as a fixed surname. Other O'Neill families in Munster and Leinster descend from different men called Niall.[1][4][2]

Is there an O'Neill family crest or coat of arms?

No single crest covers everyone named O'Neill. Arms were borne by particular chiefs and families. The emblem associated with the Ulster O'Neills is the red hand, now the symbol of Ulster. Its earliest firmly dated O'Neill use is a 14th-century seal, though the de Burgh earls of Ulster used a red hand before them.[4][11]

What is the O'Neill clan motto?

Wikipedia reports 'Lámh Dhearg Éireann' ('the Red Hand of Ireland') as the motto on O'Neill arms, but its source is a family-name website rather than a heraldic authority. Wikipedia also links the war cry 'Lámh dhearg Éireann abú' with the O'Neills. Treat any single 'clan motto' with caution, since arms and mottoes belonged to particular families.[11]

Are O'Neill and MacNeill the same name?

No. O'Neill is Ó Néill, 'descendant of Niall', while MacNeill is Mac Néill, 'son of Niall'. Woulfe links MacNeill mainly to a Scottish clan of Gigha and Barra, probably the origin of the MacNeills of Antrim and Derry, and to a branch of the Uí Fiachrach in Co. Mayo.[1][17]

Where in Ireland is the O'Neill surname most common?

In the 1911 census the largest numbers of O'Neills lived in Antrim (3,278), Dublin (3,090), Cork (2,855). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Carlow (205 per 10,000), Tyrone (121 per 10,000), Wicklow (106 per 10,000).

How common was the O'Neill surname in Ireland?

25,475 people were recorded as O'Neill or Neill or ONeil in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 10th most common surname. That is roughly 0.6% of the population, or 1 person in 172.

Looking for a O'Neill ancestor?

Search every O'Neill household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.

Search records on irishcensus.com

Evidence

Sources

  1. Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames — Ó Néill (1923)
  2. Wikipedia, O'Neill (surname)
  3. Wiktionary, Niall
  4. Wikipedia, O'Neill dynasty
  5. Wikipedia, Dungannon
  6. Wikipedia, Tullyhogue Fort
  7. Wikipedia, Clandeboye
  8. Wikipedia, Shane's Castle
  9. Wikipedia, Niall Glúndub
  10. Wikipedia, Cenél nEógain
  11. Wikipedia, Red Hand of Ulster
  12. Dictionary of Irish Biography, O'Neill (Ó Néill), Conn 'Bacach'
  13. Dictionary of Irish Biography, O'Neill, Hugh
  14. Wikipedia, Felim O'Neill of Kinard
  15. Wikipedia, Owen Roe O'Neill
  16. Wikipedia, Arturo O'Neill
  17. Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames — Mac Néill (1923)
  18. Wiktionary, O'Neill
  19. Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
  20. Irish forms cross-checked against Gaois surname data (Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU).

How we compile these figures: methodology.