Gaelic sept & Norman tribe

Martin

Mac Giolla Mháirtín / Máirtín

Also: Martyn, Gilmartin

“devotee of St Martin”

🏔 Galway · Gaillimh 🏔 Tyrone · Tír Eoghain

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

The story

Both a Tribe of Galway, whose Richard 'Humanity Dick' Martin forced through Europe's first animal-welfare act in 1822, and a Gaelic sept of Tyrone. Two roads to one name.

Their world Around 1493 — The Kildare Ascendancy. The English crown is too poor to govern Ireland directly, so it governs through the greatest of the Geraldines instead.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Mac Giolla Mháirtín
Mac — son of (Mc is the same word, contracted)
Giolla Mháirtín — the ancestor, trade or place the name is built on
Máirtín
No prefix: the name stands on its own word.

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

Is Martin an Irish name?

Martin has two separate origins. A Gaelic sept and an incoming family ended up with the same English spelling, and they are not related — which one you belong to is a question the surname cannot answer, only the records can.

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

From Wikipedia — “Martin (name)”

Martin may either be a given name or surname. In Scotland, Martin or McMartin is a common surname of Scottish Gaelic origin. Martin is, however, more common as a masculine given name in many languages and cultures. It comes from the Latin name Martinus, which is a late derived form of the name of the Roman god Mars, protective godhead of the Latins and, therefore, god of war. The meaning is usually rendered in reference to the god as "of Mars" or "of war/warlike" ("martial").

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

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Cooney · Tyrone, Galway Hughes · Tyrone, Galway Bermingham · Galway Blake · Galway Bodkin · Galway Burke · Galway Cahill · Galway Campbell · Tyrone Canavan · Galway Clarke · Galway Concannon · Galway Conlan · Tyrone Conneely · Galway Connolly · Galway

Quick answers

Is Martin an Irish name?

What does the surname Martin mean?

Martin (Irish: Mac Giolla Mháirtín / Máirtín) means “devotee of St Martin”. Origin: Gaelic sept & Norman tribe.

Where in Ireland is the surname Martin from?

The historic homeland of the Martin name is Galway, Tyrone. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Martin?

Mac Giolla Mháirtín / Máirtín. Related spellings: Martyn, Gilmartin.

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

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