Home › Irish Surnames › Cahill

Irish surname

Cahill: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Cathail · 'descendant of Cathal' (battle-powerful)

Cahill is the anglicised form of Ó Cathail, 'descendant of Cathal'. Woulfe (1923) says there were several distinct families of the name and names five as the most important, in Galway, Tipperary, Clare and at Loch Lein; all were well represented at the end of the 16th century.

Shop Cahill crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the Cahill surname
Irish formÓ Cathail
Meaning'descendant of Cathal' (battle-powerful)
CountiesGalway, Tipperary, Clare
Other spellings1

Origin of the Cahill name

Woulfe names five of several Ó Cathail families as the most important: of Cinel Aodha in south-west Galway (same stock as the O'Shaughnessys); of Crumthann in east Galway; of Corca Thine (Corkehenny, Templemore parish, Tipperary), who gave its name to Ballycahill; of Loch Lein, lords of the Eoghanacht before the O'Donoghues; and of Ui Flaithri near Corofin, Co. Clare.[1]

  1. c. 1600All five Ó Cathail families well represented at the end of the 16th century.[1]
  2. 1796Daniel William Cahill, preacher and science lecturer, born in Queen's County.[4]
  3. 1864Daniel William Cahill dies in Boston.[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. GalwayTwo families: of Cinel Aodha in the south-west (same stock as the O'Shaughnessys) and of Crumthann in the east.[1]
Co. TipperaryÓ Cathail of Corca Thine, parish of Templemore, who gave their name to Ballycahill.[1][3]
Co. ClareÓ Cathail of Ui Flaithri, near Corofin.[1]

Notable people named Cahill

Daniel William Cahill, D.D.1796–1864Pulpit orator and lecturer on chemistry and astronomy; studied at Maynooth, taught at Carlow College, died in Boston.[4]

Other spellings

O Cahill[1]

The Cahill coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Cahill surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Cahill crest gifts

Clan Cahill Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapHF98 Classic Cap - Cahill Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Cahill Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Cahill surname: questions

What does the surname Cahill mean?

Woulfe gives Cahill as the anglicised form of Ó Cathail, 'descendant of Cathal', and glosses Cathal as 'battle-powerful'.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Cahill name from?

Woulfe records several distinct families: two in Co. Galway, one at Corca Thine in Templemore parish, Co. Tipperary, one at Loch Lein, and one near Corofin, Co. Clare.[1]

Is Ballycahill named after the Cahills?

Woulfe says the Ó Cathail family of Corca Thine, in Templemore parish, Co. Tipperary, gave its name to Ballycahill, but he does not say which Ballycahill he means. The Placenames Database records a Ballycahill townland in Templemore parish whose Irish form is Baile Uí Chathail, while the Ballycahill civil parish in Co. Tipperary has a different Irish name, Bealach Achaille.[1][3][5]

Is Cahill the same as MacCahill?

Not necessarily. Woulfe treats Mac Cathail ('son of Cathal') as a separate surname, recording one family of that name as followers of O'Kelly of Uí Maine.[2]

Sources

  1. Ó Cathail — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cathail.php
  2. Mac Cathail — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-cathail.php
  3. Baile Uí Chathail / Ballycahill (townland, civil parish of Templemore, Co. Tipperary), Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). logainm.ie/en/46981
  4. Daniel William Cahill — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/DanielWilliamCahill.php
  5. Search results for 'Ballycahill' (shows Bealach Achaille / Ballycahill civil parish, Co. Tipperary, id 2162), Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). logainm.ie/en/s?txt=Ballycahill