Gaelic sept

Curtin

Mac Cairteáin

Also: Curtayne, MacCurtain

“a softened form of Mac Cartáin”

🏔 Cork · Corcaigh 🏔 Kerry · Ciarraí 🏔 Limerick · Luimneach Source: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923) ↗ Also: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923) ↗

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

The story

Woulfe makes the Cork Curtins a branch of the MacCartans of Co. Down who had settled in Cork before the end of the 16th century. Father Connor Mac Cairteáin, parish priest of Glanmire and a poet, died in 1737. A separate name, Ó Cartáin, of Castleisland and west Limerick, was also anglicised Curtin.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Mac Cairteáin
Mac — son of (Mc is the same word, contracted)
Cairteáin — 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 Curtin an Irish name?

Curtin 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 →

Where the Curtin country is

County Cork County Kerry County Limerick Cork Limerick Tralee Killarney Cobh Midleton Mallow Bandon 37 castles in Cork 14 castles in Kerry 14 castles in Limerick

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Harnett · Limerick, Kerry, Cork Leahy · Cork, Kerry, Limerick Linehan · Cork, Limerick, Kerry O'Rahilly · Kerry, Cork, Limerick Sheehan · Limerick, Cork, Kerry Shine · Cork, Kerry, Limerick Buckley · Cork, Kerry Carmody · Kerry, Limerick Casey · Cork, Limerick Collins · Cork, Limerick Crean · Kerry, Cork Cronin · Cork, Kerry Culloty · Kerry, Cork Díaz · Cork, Kerry

Quick answers

Is Curtin an Irish name?

Curtin is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here. In Irish the name is Mac Cairteáin.

What does the surname Curtin mean?

Curtin (Irish: Mac Cairteáin) means “a softened form of Mac Cartáin”. Origin: Gaelic sept.

Where in Ireland is the surname Curtin from?

The historic homeland of the Curtin name is Cork, Kerry, Limerick. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Curtin?

Mac Cairteáin. Related spellings: Curtayne, MacCurtain.

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

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