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Show ContentsO'Brian Surname History

  • Origins Available:
  • Ireland Ireland
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Extended Surname History Download (PDF) - Letter Size

The old Gaelic name used by the O'Brian family in Ireland was Ó Briain, which means descendant of Brian.

Early Origins of the O'Brian family

The surname O'Brian was first found in Thomond, a territory comprised of most of County Clare with adjacent parts of counties Limerick and Tipperary. Prior to the 10th century, the sept was a Dalcassian Clan known as the Ui Toirdealbhaigh and achieved prominence with the rise of their eponymous ancestor, Brian Boru (941-1014), to the High Kingship of Ireland. Brian Boru, by far the most outstanding figure of this family, is widely acknowledged as the greatest of all the ancient Kings of Ireland and is best remembered for driving the Norsemen out of Ireland at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.

Early History of the O'Brian family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Brian research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1369, 1400, 1551, 1577, 1600, 1614, 1640, 1642, 1651, 1663, 1674, 1678, 1690, 1692, 1699, 1714, 1717 and 1771 are included under the topic Early O'Brian History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Brian Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname O'Brian were found in the many archives researched. These included O'Brien, OBrine, O'Brion, O'Bryan, O'Bryen, McBrien, McBrine, Brian, Briand, Briant, Brine, Brines, Briens and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Brian family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Brian Sreamhach MacMathghamhna O'Brien, king of the Irish region of Thomond (1369-1400); Daniel O'Brien (1577-1663), member of the Supreme Council of Catholic Confederates; Daniel O'Brien (d. 1690), founder of the Irish Brigade known as Clare's Dragoons; Murrough McDermod O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin and 6th Baron Inchiquin (1614-1674); Henry O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan or Lord...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Brian Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Brian Ranking

In the United States, the name O'Brian is the 5,528th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

United States O'Brian migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name O'Brian:

O'Brian Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Dennis Obrian, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 2
  • Dermitt Obrian, who landed in Virginia in 1714 2
  • Archibald O'Brian, who settled in Virginia in 1773
O'Brian Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James, John, Patrick, Timothy, and William O'Brian all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860

Australia O'Brian migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

O'Brian Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Peter O'brian, (b. 1819), aged 19, Irish labourer born Westermeath, Ireland who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
  • Mr. Michael O'Brian, English convict who was convicted in Westminster, London, England for 10 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Miss. Bridget O'Brian, British Convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 9th March 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Miss. Mary O'Brian (Faucit), British Convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 9th March 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Mr. Daniel O'Brian, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Dudbrook" on 17th November 1852, arriving in Western Australia 6

New Zealand O'Brian 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'Brian Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas O'Brian, (b. 1858), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 7
  • Mr. Michael O'Brian, (b. 1859), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 7

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

  • Hugh O'Brian (1925-2016), born Hugh Charles Krampe, an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC western television series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955-1961)
  • John Dennis Patrick O'Brian (1914-2000), American entertainment journalist and television critic for New York Journal American, a supporter of Senator Joseph McCarthy
  • Conor O'Brian (b. 1980), ring name of American professional wrestler Ryan Parmeter
  • Peter O'Brian (b. 1956), New Zealand actor, best known for playing Alex Tarambuan in the movie The Intruder
  • Peter O'Brian (b. 1947), Canadian film producer and broadcast executive, Chair of TVOntario (2005-)
  • Patrick O'Brian CBE (1914-2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, an English novelist and translator
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1847
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dudbrook
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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