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Irish surname

Long: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Longaigh · 'descendant of Longach' (derivative of long, 'a ship, a camp')

Woulfe (1923) prints Long under Ó Longaigh, the name of an old family still numerous in Cork, Kerry and Limerick. He also prints it under the Norman de Long (le Lung, 'the long', one of remarkably tall stature), under Ó Longáin (in brackets) and under Fada, so no single origin applies to every bearer. In 1890, 46 of the 91 Long birth entries in Ireland were in Munster.

Coat of arms associated with the Long surname
Irish formÓ Longaigh
Meaning'descendant of Longach' (derivative of long, 'a ship, a camp')
CountiesCork, Kerry, Limerick, Dublin
Other spellings2
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Long crest gifts

Origin of the Long name

Woulfe: (1) Ó Longaigh, 'descendant of Longach', an old family 'still numerous in Cork, Kerry and Limerick'; (2) de Long, Norman 'le Lung', which 'cannot now be easily distinguished from the many Irish surnames that have been anglicised Long'; (3) Fada, 'tall, long', a descriptive epithet, 'very rare'. He prints (Long) in brackets under Ó Longáin.[1][2][3][4]

  1. 189091 Long birth entries in Ireland: Leinster 19, Munster 46, Ulster 21, Connaught 5.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkWoulfe: Ó Longaigh 'still numerous' here; Matheson 1890: first of the counties in which Long was principally found.[1][5]
Co. KerryWoulfe: Ó Longaigh 'still numerous' here; also one of Matheson's 1890 counties.[1][5]
Co. LimerickWoulfe: Ó Longaigh 'still numerous' here; also one of Matheson's 1890 counties.[1][5]
Co. DublinMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Long was principally found.[5]
Co. DonegalMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Long was principally found.[5]

Other spellings

Fodha · Longley[4][6]

The Long coat of arms

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

Long surname: questions

What does the surname Long mean?

Woulfe gives Ó Longaigh as 'descendant of Longach', a derivative of long, 'a ship, a camp'. He also prints Long as Norman 'le Lung', 'the long', one of remarkably tall stature, and under Fada, the Irish for 'tall, long', a descriptive epithet.[1][3][4]

Is Long an Irish or a Norman name?

Woulfe prints both. Ó Longaigh is the name of an old family still numerous in Cork, Kerry and Limerick. De Long is Norman and came into Ireland about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion; he says it cannot now be easily distinguished from the many Irish surnames anglicised Long, so no single origin applies to every bearer.[1][3]

Where in Ireland is the Long name found?

Woulfe says Ó Longaigh is still numerous in Cork, Kerry and Limerick. Matheson's 1890 birth index lists 91 Long entries, 46 of them in Munster, with Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Kerry and Donegal as the counties in which it was principally found.[1][5]

Is Long connected to the O'Longans?

Woulfe prints (Long) in brackets in the list of forms under Ó Longáin. He gives Ó Longáin as the name of an Ulster family who were anciently chiefs of West Ui Breasail, in Co. Armagh, and of an ecclesiastical family who were erenaghs of Ardpatrick, in Co. Limerick, and Patrician stewards of Munster.[2]

Sources

  1. Ó LONGAIGH — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-longaigh.php
  2. Ó LONGÁIN — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-longain.php
  3. de LONG — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-long.php
  4. FADA — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/f/fada.php
  5. Long — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/long.php
  6. Long — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1117.php

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