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Irish surname

Comerford: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Comartún · 'of Comberton' (a parish in Cambridgeshire), if not 'of Comberford' (a village in Staffordshire)

Woulfe (1923) classes Comerford (Irish Comartún) among 'foreign surnames of local origin': 'of Comberton,' a parish in Cambridgeshire, 'if not of Comberford,' a village in Staffordshire. He calls the Comerfords 'an old and respectable family in Kilkenny and Waterford', whose head was Baron of Danganmore. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 30 entries including spelling varieties (28 spelled Comerford), principally found in Kilkenny and Dublin.

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Coat of arms associated with the Comerford surname
Irish formComartún
Meaning'of Comberton' (a parish in Cambridgeshire), if not 'of Comberford' (a village in Staffordshire)
CountiesKilkenny, Waterford, Dublin
Other spellings2

Origin of the Comerford name

Woulfe classes Comartún among 'foreign surnames of local origin': 'of Comberton', a Cambridgeshire parish, 'if not of Comberford', a Staffordshire village. 'The Comerfords, as they are usually called, are an old and respectable family in Kilkenny and Waterford. The head of the family was Baron of Danganmore.'[1][3]

  1. 1629Patrick Comerford, an Augustinian, listed as bishop of Waterford and Lismore (1629-52).[8]
  2. 189030 birth entries incl. spelling varieties (28 Comerford); principally Kilkenny and Dublin.[4][6]

Where in Ireland

Co. KilkennyWoulfe's old Kilkenny and Waterford family; first county named for Comerford births in 1890.[1][4]
Co. WaterfordWoulfe names Kilkenny and Waterford as the family's counties.[1]
Co. DublinOne of the two counties where Comerford births were principally found in 1890.[4]

Notable people named Comerford

Patrick Comerfordbishop 1629–52Augustinian, listed among the bishops of Waterford and Lismore; sat in the Supreme Council and died an exile at Nantes.[8]
John Comerfordborn mid-18th centuryMiniature painter born at Kilkenny who settled in Dublin; Webb calls him 'a distinguished miniature painter'.[7]

Other spellings

Comerton · Cummerford[1][5]

The Comerford coat of arms

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

Comerford crest gifts

Clan Comerford Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap IQ19 Comerford Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Comerford Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Comerford Coat Of Arms Wexford Irelandarms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapMY67 Classic Cap - Comerford Coat Of Arms Wexford Irelandarms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Comerford Coat Of Arms Wexford Irelandarms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Comerford Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapLZ88 Classic Cap - Comerford Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Comerford Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Comerford Coat Of Arms Wexford Irelandarms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap WZ27 Comerford Coat Of Arms Wexford Irelandarms Irish Cap Comerford Coat Of Arms Wexford Irelandarms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00

Comerford surname: questions

Is Comerford an Irish name?

Woulfe classes it among 'foreign surnames of local origin', from Comberton in Cambridgeshire, if not Comberford in Staffordshire, and calls the Comerfords 'an old and respectable family in Kilkenny and Waterford'.[1]

What does the surname Comerford mean?

Woulfe gives it as 'of Comberton', a parish in Cambridgeshire, if not 'of Comberford', a village in Staffordshire. The Irish form he prints is Comartún.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Comerford name from?

Woulfe names Kilkenny and Waterford. In 1890 Comerford births were principally found in Kilkenny and Dublin.[1][4]

Is Comerford the same as Comiskey?

Not in origin. Woulfe gives Comiskey as Mac Cumascaigh, 'son of Cumascach', but prints (Comerford, Cummerford) in brackets under that entry, and Matheson prints [Comiskey] under Comerford. Matheson explains that names listed this way 'have been found to have been used interchangeably' in registration records.[2][5][9]

Sources

  1. Comartún — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/c/comartun.php
  2. Mac Cumascaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-cumascaigh.php
  3. Classes of Irish Surnames — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/classes-irish-surnames.php
  4. Comerford — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/comerford.php
  5. Comerford — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/308.php
  6. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  7. John Comerford — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/JohnComerford.php
  8. Diocese of Waterford and Lismore — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), Catholic Answers (catholic.com). catholic.com/encyclopedia/diocese-of-waterford-and-lismore
  9. Memorandum explanatory of Alphabetical List — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/memorandum.php

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