Gaelic sept

Carroll

Ó Cearbhaill

Also: O'Carroll

“descendant of Cearbhall, 'fierce in battle'”

🏔 Offaly · Uíbh Fhailí 🏔 Tipperary · Tiobraid Árann 🏔 Louth · Lú

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

The story

Princes of Éile from Birr's borderlands. An emigrant descendant, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was the only Catholic signer of the American Declaration of Independence.

Their world Around 1450 — 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 Cearbhaill
Ó — descendant of (originally grandson of)
Cearbhaill — 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 Carroll an Irish name?

Carroll 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 →

From Wikipedia — “O'Carroll”

O'Carroll, also known as simply Carroll, Carrol or Carrell, is a Gaelic Irish clan which is the most prominent sept of the Ciannachta. Their genealogies claim that they are kindred with the Eóganachta, descended paternally from Ailill Aulom. From the Middle Ages until 1552, the family ruled an area within the Kingdom of Munster known as Éile. The last monarch Tiege Cian O'Carroll surrendered and regranted to the Tudor Kingdom of Ireland.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Corcoran · Tipperary, Offaly Egan · Tipperary, Offaly Behan · Offaly Butler · Tipperary Cahill · Tipperary Callan · Louth Cantwell · Tipperary Carew · Tipperary Carty · Tipperary Coleman · Tipperary Colgan · Offaly Condon · Tipperary Coughlan · Offaly Dempsey · Offaly

Quick answers

Is Carroll an Irish name?

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

What does the surname Carroll mean?

Carroll (Irish: Ó Cearbhaill) means “descendant of Cearbhall, 'fierce in battle'”. Origin: Gaelic sept.

Where in Ireland is the surname Carroll from?

The historic homeland of the Carroll name is Offaly, Tipperary, Louth. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Carroll?

Ó Cearbhaill. Related spellings: O'Carroll.

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

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