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Irish surname

Costello: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Oisdealbhaigh (also Mac Oisdealbh, Mac Coistealbhaigh) · 'son of Oisdealbh' (Os-shaped, shaped like the god Os)

Costello began as a Mac-surname taken by a Norman family. Woulfe (1923) gives Mac Oisdealbh / Mac Oisdealbhaigh, 'son of Oisdealbh', as 'a patronymic surname assumed by the family of Nangle', descendants of the Anglo-Norman Gilbert de Angulo, and calls it 'the earliest Anglo-Irish Mac-surname recorded in the Annals (A.D. 1193)'. In 1890 Costello was found chiefly in Mayo, Dublin and Galway, Costelloe in Limerick, Galway and Clare.

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Coat of arms associated with the Costello surname
Irish formMac Oisdealbhaigh (also Mac Oisdealbh, Mac Coistealbhaigh)
Meaning'son of Oisdealbh' (Os-shaped, shaped like the god Os)
CountiesMayo, Galway, Dublin, Limerick
Other spellings4
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Costello crest gifts

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Origin of the Costello name

Anglo-Norman: the Nangles (Latin 'de Angulo') descend from Gilbert de Angulo, 'one of the earliest of the Anglo-Norman invaders'; they obtained large grants in Meath and were barons of Navan. Woulfe says Mac Oisdealbh was a patronymic assumed by this family. The Waldrons of Mayo are 'probably a branch of the Costelloes'.[1][3][4]

  1. 1193Earliest Anglo-Irish Mac-surname recorded in the Annals (Woulfe).[1]
  2. 1890147 births: Costello chiefly Mayo, Dublin, Galway; Costelloe Limerick, Galway, Clare.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. MayoFirst county named for 'Costello' births in 1890; Waldrons of Mayo probably a Costello branch.[5][4]
Co. GalwayNamed for both 'Costello' and 'Costelloe' births in 1890.[5]
Co. DublinAmong the chief 'Costello' counties in 1890.[5]
Co. LimerickFirst county named for 'Costelloe' births in 1890.[5]
Co. ClareAmong the chief 'Costelloe' counties in 1890.[5]
Co. MeathThe Nangles, who assumed the name, obtained large grants of land in Meath.[3][1]

Notable people named Costello

Louisa Stuart Costello1815–1870Born in Ireland; author of history, travel, romance and poetry; dedicated her first important work to Moore.[6]

Other spellings

Costelloe · Costellow · Costley · Costily[1][2][5]

The Costello coat of arms

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

Costello surname: questions

Is Costello an Irish or Norman name?

Woulfe calls Mac Oisdealbh (Costello) 'a patronymic surname assumed by the family of Nangle' and 'the earliest Anglo-Irish Mac-surname recorded in the Annals (A.D. 1193)'. The Nangles descend from Gilbert de Angulo, 'one of the earliest of the Anglo-Norman invaders'.[1][3]

What does the surname Costello mean?

'Son of Oisdealbh'; Woulfe glosses Oisdealbh as 'Os-shaped, shaped like the god Os'.[1]

Is Costello the same as Costelloe?

Woulfe lists Costello and Costelloe as forms of the same name. In 1890 Matheson gave separate counties: Costello chiefly in Mayo, Dublin and Galway, Costelloe in Limerick, Galway and Clare.[1][5]

Where in Ireland is the Costello name from?

The Nangle family who assumed it obtained large grants in Meath. In the 1890 birth indexes the name was most common in Connacht (67 of 147 entries), then Munster (45).[3][1][5]

Sources

  1. Mac Oisdealbh, Mac Oisdealbhaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maco/mac-oisdealbh-mac-oisdealbhaigh.php
  2. Mac Coistealbh, Mac Coistealbhaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-coistealbh-mac-coistealbhaigh.php
  3. de Nógla — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-nogla.php
  4. Mac Bhaildrín, Mac Bhailtrín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macb/mac-bhaildrin-mac-bhailtrin.php
  5. Costello — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/costello.php
  6. Louisa Stuart Costello — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/LouisaStuartCostello.php

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