Gaelic sept

Cahill

Ó Cathail

Also: O'Cahill, Cahil

“descendant of Cathal — cath, 'battle', with either 'rule' or 'great'”

🏔 Galway · Gaillimh 🏔 Kerry · Ciarraí 🏔 Tipperary · Tiobraid Árann Source: Wikipedia ↗ Source: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923) ↗

The sept's historic heartland, highlighted. People moved — a name can be found far from home.

The story

Cathal is battle-powerful, and Woulfe counts five separate families of the name, all of them well established by the close of the 16th century: Ó Cathail of Cinel Aodha in south-west Galway, of the same stock as the O'Shaughnessys; another in Crumthann in the east of that county; the Corca Thine family in Tipperary, who gave their name to Ballycahill; the Ó Cathail of Loch Lein, lords of that Eoghanacht country in Kerry before the O'Donoghues; and a fifth near Corofin in Clare. Five unrelated families, one spelling — which is the ordinary condition of an Irish surname rather than the exception.

Their world Around 1400 — The Gaelic Resurgence. Plague, absentee landlords and Gaelic recovery shrink English Ireland to a fortified strip around Dublin.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Ó Cathail
Ó — descendant of (originally grandson of)
Cathail — the ancestor, trade or place the name is built on

Find this form in the Irish-to-English index → · What Ó and Mac actually mean

Is Cahill an Irish name?

Cahill is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here.

The five answers, and why it is rarely yes or no →

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Downey · Galway, Kerry Egan · Galway, Tipperary O'Connell · Kerry, Galway Shanahan · Tipperary, Kerry Sheehy · Kerry, Tipperary Treacy · Galway, Tipperary Bermingham · Galway Blake · Galway Bodkin · Galway Brosnan · Kerry Buckley · Kerry Burke · Galway Butler · Tipperary Canavan · Galway

Quick answers

Is Cahill an Irish name?

Cahill is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here. In Irish the name is Ó Cathail.

What does the surname Cahill mean?

Cahill (Irish: Ó Cathail) means “descendant of Cathal — cath, 'battle', with either 'rule' or 'great'”. Origin: Gaelic sept.

Where in Ireland is the surname Cahill from?

The historic homeland of the Cahill name is Galway, Kerry, Tipperary. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Cahill?

Ó Cathail. Related spellings: O'Cahill, Cahil.

Looking for the Cahill family crest? Read this first — arms belong to people, not surnames, and the honest version is more interesting. Tracing Cahill ancestors? The step-by-step guide.

Not your spelling? Try the full A–Z. Know more about the Cahill name? Add to the story.