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Irish surname

Mahony: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Mathghamhna · 'descendant of Mathghamhain' (bear)

Woulfe (1923) gives O'Mahony and Mahony as anglicised forms of Ó Mathghamhna, 'descendant of Mathghamhain' (bear), the name of a well-known Cork family descended from Mathghamhain (slain in 1014), whose father Cian commanded the forces of Desmond at Clontarf. In 1890 Mahony was the 46th commonest surname in Ireland, with an estimated 13,500 people.

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Coat of arms associated with the Mahony surname
Irish formÓ Mathghamhna
Meaning'descendant of Mathghamhain' (bear)
CountiesCork, Kerry, Limerick
Other spellings4
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Origin of the Mahony name

A Cork family, per Woulfe: chiefs of Cinel mBeice (now the barony of Kinelmeaky, along the River Bandon), who later became masters of Fonn Iartharach, 'the western land', in south-west Cork. Woulfe says another Ó Mathghamhna family was very powerful in Ulidia in the 11th and 12th centuries and is still extant in Co. Down and East Ulster, 'disguised as Mahons and MacMahons'.[1]

  1. 1014Mathghamhain, ancestor of the Cork family, slain (Woulfe).[1]
  2. 1427Dermot O'Mahony, Lord of Fonn Iartharach, 'a truly hospitable man', died.[7]
  3. 1496Fineen O'Mahony of Fonn-iartharach, learned in Latin and English, died.[8]
  4. 1513O'Mahony (Conor Finn, son of Conor, son of Dermot) died.[9]
  5. 1585Four Masters: O'Mahony the Western (Conor) among those who went to the Parliament.[10]
  6. 1690'O MAHONY' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[6]
  7. 1890276 birth entries including spelling varieties (243 spelled Mahony); 182 in Cork.[2][4]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkCinel mBeice (Kinelmeaky) and Fonn Iartharach; 182 Mahony birth entries in Cork in 1890.[1][2]
Co. Kerry37 Mahony birth entries in Kerry in 1890.[2]
Co. Limerick13 Mahony birth entries in Limerick in 1890.[2]

Notable people named Mahony

Daniel O'Mahonyd. 1714Part of the Irish Brigade under him defeated Prince Eugene's attempt on Cremona, January 1702; later Lieutenant-General and Count of Castile (Webb).[11]
John O'Mahony1816–1877Webb: born at Kilbeheny, 'County of Cork'; Gaelic scholar, translator of Keating's History, 'organizer of the Fenian movement'.[12]
Francis Sylvester Mahonyc. 1805–1866Cork-born priest and writer of 'The Reliques of Father Prout' and 'The Bells of Shandon'.[13]

Other spellings

O'Mahony · Mahoney · Maughan · O Mahowny[1][3]

The Mahony coat of arms

'O MAHONY' is printed in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as reproduced by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named Mahony is entitled to a coat of arms.[6]

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

Mahony surname: questions

What does the surname Mahony mean?

Woulfe gives Mahony as a form of Ó Mathghamhna, 'descendant of Mathghamhain', a personal name meaning 'bear'.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Mahony name from?

Co. Cork. Woulfe says the family were chiefs of Cinel mBeice (the barony of Kinelmeaky) and later masters of Fonn Iartharach in south-west Cork. Of 276 Mahony birth entries in 1890, 182 were in Cork, 37 in Kerry and 13 in Limerick.[1][2]

Is Mahony the same name as McMahon?

They are two Irish names in Woulfe: Mahony under Ó Mathghamhna ('descendant of Mathghamhain') and MacMahon under Mac Mathghamhna ('son of Mathghamhain'). The spellings overlap: he also prints Mahony among the forms of Mac Mathghamhna, prints (MacMahon) in brackets under Ó Mathghamhna, and says an Ulidia Ó Mathghamhna family is 'disguised as Mahons and MacMahons'.[1][14]

Is Mahoney the same as Mahony?

Matheson's 1901 list of surname varieties gives Mahoney as a variety of Mahony.[5]

Sources

  1. Ó Mathghamhna — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-mathghamhna.php
  2. Mahony — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mahony.php
  3. O'Mahony — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/omahony.php
  4. 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
  5. Mahony — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1169.php
  6. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1427 (part 6) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text006.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1496 (part 13) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text013.html
  9. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1513 (part 2) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text002.html
  10. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1585 (part 9) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text009.html
  11. Daniel O'Mahony — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/DanielOMahony.php
  12. John O'Mahony — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/JohnOMahony.php
  13. Francis Sylvester Mahony — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/FrancisSylvesterMahony.php
  14. Mac Mathghamhna — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macm/mac-mathghamhna.php

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