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Irish surname

Cusack: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Ciúmhsóg, de Cíomhsóg; also Mac Íosóg, Mac Íosóc · Norman 'de Cusak', i.e., of Cussac in France; the unrelated Gaelic Mac Íosóg is 'son of Isaac'

Woulfe (1923) gives two unrelated origins for Cusack. One is the Norman 'de Cusak', of Cussac in France, a family that came at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion and settled in Meath and other parts of Leinster; many of them filled high judicial posts under the Anglo-Irish government. The other is the Gaelic Mac Íosóg, 'son of Isaac', an old Thomond family. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 46 Cusack entries, principally in Limerick, Cavan and Clare.

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Coat of arms associated with the Cusack surname
Irish formde Ciúmhsóg, de Cíomhsóg; also Mac Íosóg, Mac Íosóc
MeaningNorman 'de Cusak', i.e., of Cussac in France; the unrelated Gaelic Mac Íosóg is 'son of Isaac'
CountiesMeath, Limerick, Cavan, Clare
Other spellings5
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Cusack crest gifts

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Origin of the Cusack name

Two origins, per Woulfe: (1) Norman de Ciúmhsóg, 'de Cusak', of Cussac in France, settled in Meath and other parts of Leinster, 'one of the most distinguished families of the Pale'; (2) Gaelic Mac Íosóg, 'son of Isaac', 'an old Thomond family; found also in Galway, Roscommon and Donegal'.[1][2]

  1. 1281Four Masters: a battle between the Barretts and the Cusack; the Barretts defeated.[7]
  2. 1285Manus O'Conor defeats Adam Cusack and the English of West Connaught at Ballysadare.[8]
  3. 1551Sir Thomas Cusack appointed Lord-Chancellor of Ireland on 5 August.[10]
  4. 1571Thomas Cusack, 'thrice Viceroy of Ireland', dies (Four Masters).[9][10]
  5. 1884Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin convene the Thurles meeting that founded the GAA.[11]
  6. 189046 birth entries spelled Cusack; principally Limerick, Cavan and Clare.[5][6]

Where in Ireland

Co. MeathNorman Cusacks settled in Meath; Sir Thomas Cusack was born there and died at his Meath seat.[1][10]
Co. LimerickFirst county named for Cusack births in 1890.[5]
Co. CavanOne of three counties where Cusack births were principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. ClareOne of three counties where Cusack births were principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. GalwayMac Íosóg found also in Galway; the variant Mac Íseóg 'still in use in Co. Galway'.[2][3]

Notable people named Cusack

Sir Thomas Cusackc. 1490–1571Born in Meath of an old Anglo-Norman family; Master of the Rolls, then Lord-Chancellor of Ireland from 1551.[10]
Michael Cusack1847–1906Born at Carron near Corofin, Co. Clare; with Maurice Davin convened the 1884 Thurles meeting that established the GAA, with Cusack as secretary.[11]

Other spellings

Cussack · de Cusack · MacCussack · MacKissock · Kissack[4]

The Cusack coat of arms

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

Cusack surname: questions

Is Cusack an Irish or a Norman name?

Both, according to Woulfe. The Cusacks of the Pale were a Norman family, 'de Cusak', of Cussac in France; separately, Cusack also anglicises the Gaelic Mac Íosóg, 'son of Isaac', an old Thomond family.[1][2]

What does the surname Cusack mean?

For the Norman name Woulfe gives 'de Cusak', i.e., of Cussac in France. For the Gaelic Mac Íosóg he gives 'son of Isaac'.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Cusack name from?

Woulfe says the Norman family settled in Meath and other parts of Leinster, and that the name is now more common in Munster than in Leinster. In 1890 Cusack births were found principally in Limerick, Cavan and Clare.[1][5]

Did a Cusack found the GAA?

The National Library of Ireland says Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin convened a meeting at Hayes's Hotel, Thurles, on 1 November 1884, at which the association was established, with Davin as president and Cusack as secretary.[11]

Sources

  1. De Cíomhsóg, De Ciúmhsóg — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-ciomhsog-de-ciumhsog.php
  2. Mac Íosóc, Mac Íosóg — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maci/mac-iosoc-mac-iosog.php
  3. Mac Íseóg — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maci/mac-iseog.php
  4. Cíomhsóg, Cíosóg — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/c/ciomhsog-ciosog-ciosog.php
  5. Cusack — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/cusack.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. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1281 (part 11 of vol. C) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text011.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1282–1287 (part 12 of vol. C) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text012.html
  9. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1571 (part 8 of vol. E) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text008.html
  10. Thomas Cusack — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/ThomasCusack.php
  11. Michael Cusack, Maurice Davin and the Gaelic Athletic Association — The 1916 Rising: Personalities and Perspectives, National Library of Ireland. nli.ie/1916/exhibition/en/content/stagesetters/culture/cusack-davin/

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