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Irish surname

Ivers: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Íomhair, Mac Iomhair; also Ó hIomhair, Ó hÍomhair · 'son of Ivarr' (Mac Íomhair; Woulfe: 'an old Scandinavian personal name'); 'descendant of Iomhar' or 'Íomhar' (Ó hIomhair; Woulfe: 'the Norse personal name Ivarr')

Woulfe (1923) traces the anglicised form Ivers to two separate Irish names. Mac Íomhair, 'son of Ivarr' (an old Scandinavian personal name), he calls 'a common surname in the North of Ireland, apparently of Scottish origin.' Ó hIomhair, 'descendant of Iomhar' or 'Íomhar' (the Norse personal name Ivarr), he gives as the name of a Sligo family of the Ui Fiachrach race 'formerly seated at Leacan, now anglicised Lackan, on the east side of Killala Bay', and of a Thomond family 'now numerous in Clare and Limerick, but generally known in English as Howards.' In 1890, 11 entries including spelling varieties (8 spelled Ivers) were registered in Ireland, principally found in Dublin and Louth.

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Coat of arms associated with the Ivers surname
Irish formMac Íomhair, Mac Iomhair; also Ó hIomhair, Ó hÍomhair
Meaning'son of Ivarr' (Mac Íomhair; Woulfe: 'an old Scandinavian personal name'); 'descendant of Iomhar' or 'Íomhar' (Ó hIomhair; Woulfe: 'the Norse personal name Ivarr')
CountiesSligo, Clare, Limerick, Dublin
Other spellings4
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Ivers crest gifts

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Origin of the Ivers name

Woulfe gives two headwords. Mac Íomhair: 'son of Ivarr'; 'a common surname in the North of Ireland, apparently of Scottish origin'. Ó hIomhair: 'descendant of Iomhar' or 'Íomhar'; the name (1) of a Sligo family of the Ui Fiachrach race 'formerly seated at Leacan, now anglicised Lackan, on the east side of Killala Bay'; and (2) of a Thomond family 'now numerous in Clare and Limerick, but generally known in English as Howards.'[1][2]

  1. 189011 entries including spelling varieties (8 spelled Ivers); principally Dublin and Louth.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. SligoUi Fiachrach family 'formerly seated at Leacan, now anglicised Lackan', east side of Killala Bay (Woulfe).[2]
Co. ClareThomond family, now numerous here, 'generally known in English as Howards' (Woulfe).[2]
Co. LimerickSame Thomond family, also numerous here (Woulfe).[2]
Co. Dublin1890 Ivers births 'principally found' here (Matheson).[3]
Co. Louth1890 Ivers births 'principally found' here (Matheson).[3]

Other spellings

Eivers · Ivors · MacIvor · MacIver[1][2]

Scottish connection

Woulfe calls Mac Íomhair 'a common surname in the North of Ireland, apparently of Scottish origin.'[1]

The Ivers coat of arms

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

Ivers surname: questions

What does the surname Ivers mean?

Woulfe traces it to two names: Mac Íomhair, 'son of Ivarr', and Ó hIomhair, 'descendant of Iomhar/Íomhar' — both from the Norse personal name Ivarr.[1][2]

Is Ivers an Irish name or a Scottish name?

Woulfe gives one Ivers-related name, Mac Íomhair, as 'apparently of Scottish origin'; the other, Ó hIomhair, as the name of Irish families in Sligo and in Thomond (Clare/Limerick).[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Ivers name found?

Woulfe places Ó hIomhair families in Sligo and in Clare/Limerick; Matheson's 1890 figures show 11 Ivers birth entries, principally found in Dublin and Louth.[2][3]

Is Ivers connected to the surname Howard?

Woulfe says the Thomond family of Ó hIomhair, 'now numerous in Clare and Limerick', is 'generally known in English as Howards'; Hoare and Howard also appear in his list of anglicised forms of Ó hIomhair. This hub covers the Ivers spelling only.[2]

Sources

  1. Mac Íomhair, Mac Iomhair — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maci/mac-iomhair-mac-iomhair.php
  2. Ó hIomhair, Ó hÍomhair — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hiomhair.php
  3. Ivers — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/ivers.php

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