O'Beirne Surname History

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name O'Beirne was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Birn or Ó Beirn, from the Norse forename Bjorn. 1

Early Origins of the O'Beirne family

The surname O'Beirne was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the O'Beirne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Beirne research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1747, 1748, 1789, 1812, 1823, 1850, 1853 and 1887 are included under the topic Early O'Beirne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Beirne Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period because the general population had to rely on local official's understanding of how their name should be spelt, hence spellings in records often changed through a person's lifetime. The following variations for the name O'Beirne were encountered in the archives: Bierne, O'Bierne, Biern, O'Biern, Beirne, O'Beirne, Beirn, O'Beirn, Birn, O'Birn, Birne and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Beirne family

More information is included under the topic Early O'Beirne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Beirne migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name O'Beirne to North America:

O'Beirne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas OBeirne, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1849 2

O'Beirne Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George O'Beirne, aged 41, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Mexico" from Havana, Cuba 3
Lellie O'Beirne, aged 34, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Mexico" from Havana, Cuba 3

O'Beirne migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

O'Beirne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick O'Beirne (Brien), (b. 1804), aged 43, Irish settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 4
Mrs. Ellen O'Beirne (Brien) Née Hennesey, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 4
Mr. William O'Beirne (Brien), (b. 1837), aged 10, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 4
Child O'Beirne (Brien), Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 4

Contemporary Notables of the name O'Beirne (post 1700) +

Paul O'Beirne, American saxophonist, known by the pseudonym Apollo 9
Kate Walsh O'Beirne (1949-2017), born Kate Walsh, American editor of National Review, known for her column "Bread and Circuses"
Francis O'Beirne (1833-1899), Irish Home Rule League politician, Member of Parliament for Leitrim (1876-1885)
James Lyster O'Beirne (1820-1895), Irish Liberal politician, Member of Parliament for Cashel (1865-1869)
Kathleen Elizabeth "Kathy" O'Beirne (b. 1956), Irish author, best known for her controversial memoir, Kathy's Story, the most successful non-fiction book published by an Irish author
The Right Reverend Thomas Lewis O'Beirne (1749-1823), Irish Anglican prelate, Bishop of Ossory (1795-1798), Bishop of Meath (1798-1823)
Francis "Frank" O'Beirne (1898-1978), Irish farmer, businessman, Irish Republican activist
Patrick Joseph O'Beirne (1900-1980), Irish professional footballer
Gerry O'Beirne, Irish musician, producer, and songwriter
Eugene Francis O'Beirne, Canadian explorer with William Wentworth-FitzWilliam and Walter Butler Cheadle's expedition over the Yellowhead Pass, eponym of Mount O'Beirne, on the border of Alberta and British Columbia

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html