Home › Irish Surnames › Tyrrell

Irish surname

Tyrrell: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Tirial (Woulfe's Irish form of the Norman name); also Trial · 'son of Tyrel' or 'Thurold' (corrupt for Anglo-Saxon Thurwald, Norse Thorvaldr)

Tyrrell is a Norman surname. Woulfe (1923) writes: 'Torel, Turritt, Tyrel, Tirrell, Tyrrell; son of Tyrel or Thurold... This family, which is of Norman origin, came to England with William the Conqueror.' At the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, Hugh Tyrrell received the lordship of Castleknock from Hugh de Lacy, and in Co. Westmeath the Tyrrells later held the barony of Fertullagh down to the 17th century.

Shop Tyrrell crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the Tyrrell surname
Irish formTirial (Woulfe's Irish form of the Norman name); also Trial
Meaning'son of Tyrel' or 'Thurold' (corrupt for Anglo-Saxon Thurwald, Norse Thorvaldr)
CountiesWestmeath, Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow
Other spellings3

Origin of the Tyrrell name

Woulfe: Norman family, 'son of Tyrel or Thurold'; came to England with William the Conqueror. At the Anglo-Norman invasion, Hugh Tyrrell received the lordship of Castleknock from Hugh de Lacy; his descendants were styled Barons of Castleknock until the line became extinct in 1385. In Co. Westmeath the Tyrrells held the barony of Fertullagh down to the 17th century.[1]

  1. 1248Four Masters: 'John Tyrrell was slain by Gilla-na-naev O'Farrell.'[4]
  2. 1356Four Masters: Gearoidin Tyrrell put to death on the green of Dublin by the people of the King of England.[5]
  3. 1366Four Masters: 'Huggin Tyrrell, Lord of Fer-Tulach was slain by the Clann-Feorais Berminghams.'[6]
  4. 1385The Barons of Castleknock line became extinct.[1]
  5. 1466Four Masters: Richard and Thomas Gillda, sons of Edmond Tyrrell, died.[7]
  6. 1484Four Masters: 'James, the son of Redmond Tyrrell, Lord of Fertullagh, died.'[8]
  7. 1598Four Masters: O'Rourke seizes a prey and slays 'some persons at Tyrrell's-Pass' in Fertullagh.[9]
  8. 1601Four Masters: Captain Tyrrell 'had remained with O'Neill', then came into Leinster with retained kerns.[10]
  9. 1890Matheson: 30 entries including spelling varieties (27 spelled Tyrrell), principally Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. WestmeathThe Tyrrells possessed the barony of Fertullagh down to the 17th century.[1]
Co. DublinA principal county for Tyrrell births in Matheson's 1890 report.[3]
Co. KildareA principal county for Tyrrell births in Matheson's 1890 report.[3]
Co. WicklowA principal county for Tyrrell births in Matheson's 1890 report.[3]

Notable people named Tyrrell

Captain Richard Tyrrellfl. 1598–1601Woulfe calls him 'a celebrated commander in the Elizabethan wars in Ireland'; the Four Masters name him in 1598 as 'Richard, the son of Thomas Oge Tyrrell' and in 1601 as 'Richard, the son of Thomas, son of Richard'.[1][9][10]

Other spellings

Trial · Torel · Tirrell[2]

The Tyrrell coat of arms

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

Tyrrell crest gifts

Clan Tyrrell Coat Of Arms II Irisharms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap HF98 Tyrrell Coat Of Arms II Irisharms Irish Cap Tyrrell Coat Of Arms II Irisharms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap$33.45Clan Tyrrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap MW63 Tyrrell Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Tyrrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap$33.45Clan Tyrrell Coat Of Arms II Irisharms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapOA24 Classic Cap - Tyrrell Coat Of Arms II Irisharms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Tyrrell Coat Of Arms II Irisharms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45Clan Tyrrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapMZ68 Classic Cap - Tyrrell Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Tyrrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45

Tyrrell surname: questions

Is Tyrrell an Irish surname?

No, it is Norman. Woulfe says the family 'is of Norman origin' and 'came to England with William the Conqueror' before reaching Ireland at the Anglo-Norman invasion.[1]

What does Tyrrell mean?

'Son of Tyrel' or 'Thurold', itself, per Woulfe, 'corrupt for Anglo-Saxon Thurwald, Norse Thorvaldr'.[1]

Where in Ireland are the Tyrrells from?

Castleknock (granted to Hugh Tyrrell by Hugh de Lacy), then the barony of Fertullagh in Co. Westmeath; Matheson's 1890 births also show Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.[1][3]

Who was Captain Tyrrell?

Woulfe calls him 'a celebrated commander in the Elizabethan wars in Ireland'; the Four Masters name Captain Tyrrell in Leinster in 1598 and record in 1601 that he 'had remained with O'Neill' before coming into Leinster.[1][9][10]

What is Tyrrellspass?

A place in Fertullagh, the barony Woulfe says the Tyrrells 'possessed... down to the 17th century'. The Four Masters already print 'Tyrrell's-Pass' in their 1598 entry; no source opened here states who it was named after.[9][1]

Sources

  1. Tirial — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/t/tirial.php
  2. Trial — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/t/trial.php
  3. Tyrrell — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/tyrrell.php
  4. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text008.html
  5. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text019.html
  6. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text020.html
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text010.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text012.html
  9. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005F/text010.html
  10. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005F/text013.html

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