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Irish surname

Carroll: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Cearbhaill · 'descendant of Cearbhall' (a very common Irish personal name)

Carroll, or O'Carroll, was the 22nd most common surname in Ireland in Matheson's 1890 survey, with about 17,400 people. Its usual Irish form is Ó Cearbhaill, 'descendant of Cearbhall', and Woulfe (1923) lists several distinct families of the name, among them the O'Carrolls of Eile (Ely O'Carroll), whose chief resided at Birr. Some Carrolls instead descend from Mac Cearbhaill, an Ulster family of musicians.

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Coat of arms associated with the Carroll surname
Irish formÓ Cearbhaill
Meaning'descendant of Cearbhall' (a very common Irish personal name)
CountiesOffaly, Tipperary, Monaghan, Louth
Other spellings8

Origin of the Carroll name

Woulfe names six of the best-known Ó Cearbhaill families: Eile (Offaly–Tipperary), descended from Cearbhall, lord of Eile, who fought at Clontarf; Oriel, of the same stock as the MacMahons and Maguires; Loch Lein, about Killarney; Ossory; Tara, a southern Ui Neill branch; and Calry, in Sligo and Leitrim. Separately, Mac Cearbhaill was 'a celebrated family of musicians in Ulster'.[1][2]

  1. 1014Cearbhall, lord of Eile, ancestor of the O'Carrolls, fights at Clontarf.[1][5]
  2. 1451Death of Margaret O'Carroll, 'Margaret the Hospitable'.[3]
  3. 1594Ballym'Carroll, part of Gillekeaghe M'Carroll's lands, is escheated.[2]
  4. 1789John Carroll appointed the first bishop in the United States hierarchy.[4]
  5. 1890Carroll is 22nd of Ireland's principal surnames, about 17,400 people.[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. OffalyEly O'Carroll: Eile included Clonlisk and Ballybritt; O'Carroll resided at Birr.[1]
Co. TipperaryIkerrin and Eliogarty were part of Eile; a principal Carroll county in 1890.[1][7]
Co. MonaghanThe Oriel family is 'still numerous in Monaghan and Louth' (Woulfe).[1]
Co. LouthThe Oriel family is 'still numerous in Monaghan and Louth' (Woulfe).[1]
Co. DublinFirst of the counties where Matheson found Carroll principally in 1890.[7]
Co. KilkennySecond of the counties where Matheson found Carroll principally in 1890.[7]

Notable people named Carroll

Margaret O'Carrolld. 1451'Margaret the Hospitable'; called by the Four Masters 'the best woman of her time in Ireland'.[3]
John Carroll1735–1815First Bishop and Archbishop of Baltimore; his father Daniel was born in Ireland.[4]

Other spellings

O'Carroll · Carvill · O Carrowill · O Carwell · O Carvill · MacCarroll · MacCarvill · MacCarville[1]

The Carroll coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Carroll 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.

Carroll crest gifts

Clan Ocarroll Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapZE91 Classic Cap - Ocarroll Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ocarroll Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Carroll Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapGV10 Classic Cap - Carroll Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Carroll Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Carroll Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap JC50 Carroll Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Carroll Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00

Carroll surname: questions

What does the surname Carroll mean?

Woulfe gives Carroll and O'Carroll as anglicised forms of Ó Cearbhaill, 'descendant of Cearbhall', a very common Irish personal name. Some Carrolls are from Mac Cearbhaill, 'son of Cearbhall'.[1][2]

Where does the Carroll name come from in Ireland?

Woulfe lists several distinct Ó Cearbhaill families: Eile (Ely O'Carroll, seated at Birr), Oriel (still numerous in Monaghan and Louth), Loch Lein (about Killarney), Ossory, Tara, and Calry in Sligo and Leitrim.[1]

What is Ely O'Carroll?

Woulfe explains that the lord of Eile once ruled Clonlisk and Ballybritt (Offaly) and Ikerrin and Eliogarty (Tipperary). After the Anglo-Norman invasion only the part later called Ely O'Carroll stayed with O'Carroll, who resided at Birr.[1]

Are Carroll and MacCarroll the same family?

Not necessarily. Woulfe gives Carroll under both Ó Cearbhaill and Mac Cearbhaill; the Mac Cearbhaill were a family of musicians in Ulster, with a family of the name also in Leix.[1][2]

How common is Carroll in Ireland?

In Matheson's 1890 survey Carroll was 22nd of the hundred principal surnames, with about 17,400 people, and was found in every county of Leinster, Munster and Connacht.[6][7]

Sources

  1. Ó Cearbhaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cearbhaill.php
  2. Mac Cearbhaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-cearbhaill.php
  3. O'Carroll, Margaret — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/MargaretOCarroll.php
  4. John Carroll — The Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), New Advent. newadvent.org/cathen/03381b.htm
  5. Ó Domhnaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-domhnaill.php
  6. Principal Surnames in Ireland (table of 100 principal surnames, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/principal-surnames-ireland.php
  7. Carroll — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/carroll.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).