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Show ContentsByrne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Ireland Ireland
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The surname Byrne was "O Broin," in its Gaelic form, which means descendant of Bran. The family is descended from Bran, the king of Leinster who died in 1052, who, along with King Conn of the Hundred Battles descended from Cathair Mor, an earlier king of Leinster, who was also monarch of all Ireland around 200 AD.

Early Origins of the Byrne family

The surname Byrne was first found in Leinster, where they were descended from Bran, the King of Leinster who died in 1052. 1 He was descended from Cathair Mor King of Leinster, who was also Monarch of all Ireland about 200 A.D. From this stem King Conn of the Hundred Battles was also descended. During the Strongbow invasion in 1172, the family, along with the O'Tooles, were driven from their original lands in county Kildare, settling the wilder territory between Rathdrum and Shillelagh, in south Wicklow.

"The O'Bymes anciently possessed the greater part of the Barony of Ballinacor, County Wicklow, and wore powerful Chiefs in that part of the country. Byrne is the leading name now in the Counties of Wicklow, Dublin, and Louth." 2

The sept increased in importance, and like their similarly displaced neighbors, were especially noted for their lengthy and tenacious resistance to the English invaders. Their successes in this struggle were numerous. Their military exploits of this time are celebrated in a compilation by some thirty-five authors of Gaelic poetry called the Leabhar Branch (Book of the O'Byrnes).1

Early History of the Byrne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byrne research. Another 35 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1574, 1580, 1591, 1597, 1598, 1744, 1775, 1799 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Byrne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byrne Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Byrne family name include Byrne, Byrnes, O'Byrne, O'Byrnes and others.

Early Notables of the Byrne family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Fiacha MacHugh O'Byrne (1544-1597), best remembered for helping in the escape of Hugh Roe O'Donnell from prison in Dublin Castle in 1591
  • Garret Byrne (1744-1830) and William Byrne (1775-1799), great Irish patriots

Byrne World Ranking

In the United States, the name Byrne is the 1,224th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Byrne is ranked the 896th most popular surname with an estimated 5,993 people with that name. 4 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Byrne is the 73rd popular surname with an estimated 366 people with that name. 5 Australia ranks Byrne as 155th with 19,255 people. 6 New Zealand ranks Byrne as 501st with 1,370 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Byrne as 235th with 24,929 people. 8

United States Byrne 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 Byrne to North America:

Byrne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henry Byrne, who landed in Virginia in 1741 9
  • Celia Byrne, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746-1747 9
  • Lawrence Byrne, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 9
  • Garrett Byrne, who landed in North America in 1789 9
Byrne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Edward Byrne, who landed in America in 1804 9
  • John Byrne, who landed in America in 1804 9
  • Kavin Byrne, who landed in America in 1807 9
  • Mark Byrne, who arrived in America in 1809 9
  • Juan Byrne, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1810-1814 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Byrne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Byrne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Peter Byrne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Byrne Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Byrne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1821
  • Michael Byrne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
  • James Byrne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1825
  • Catherine Byrne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1826
  • Bridget Byrne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1827
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Byrne migration to Australia +

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

Byrne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Byrne, Irish convict who was convicted in Meath, Ireland for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, believed to have died on board 10
  • Mr. James Byrne, (Byrne, John), British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 11
  • Mr. Stephen Byrne, (b. 1766), aged 37, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1803 11
  • Mr. Michael Byrne, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Miss Ann Byrne, (b. 1785), aged 28, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Catherine" on 8th December 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Byrne 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:

Byrne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Byrne, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1843
  • Miss Margaret Byrne (Burns), British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th March 1852 14
  • Miss Mary Byrne (Burns), British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th March 1852 14
  • Mr. Thomas Byrne (Burns), British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th March 1852 14
  • Patrick Byrne, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golconda" in 1859
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Byrne migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15
Byrne Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Dinnis Byrne, who settled in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Byrne (post 1700) +

  • Brendan Thomas Byrne (1924-2018), American politician, 47th Governor of New Jersey (1974-1982), inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011
  • Robert Eugene Byrne (1928-2013), American Grandmaster, and chess author, winner of the U.S. Championship in 1972
  • Andrew Byrne (1802-1862), Irish-born, American Catholic priest, the first Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Donn Byrne (1889-1928), Irish-American novelist who's works include "Messer Marco Polo" (1921) and "Hangman's House" (1926)
  • Tommy Byrne (b. 1919), American Major League Baseball player
  • David Byrne (b. 1952), American (Scottish born) singer and songwriter
  • Bobby Byrne (1918-2006), American jazz musician
  • Hugh Byrne (1939-2023), Irish Fine Gael politician from Dublin who was a Teachta Dála (TD) for 13 years
  • Peter Byrne (1935-2022), Irish sportswriter from Finglas, Dublin, known as "the Doyen" covering soccer, boxing and athletics during a 38-year career with the Irish Times
  • Charles Byrne (1761-1783), also known as Charles O'Brien or "The Irish Giant," was a human curiosity in London in the 1780s; his exact height is unknown, but most accounts refer to him as from 8' 2" to 8' 4" tall 16
  • ... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. John Patrick Byrne, British Bedroom Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 17
  • Miss Selina Byrne (1894-1914), Australian Second Class Passenger from Brisbane, Australia who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
  • Mr. Edward Byrne (1855-1914), Australian Second Class Passenger from Brisbane, Australia who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 18
  • Mrs. Eliza Byrne (1854-1914), née Bickford Australian Second Class Passenger from Brisbane, Australia who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. Albert Edwin Byrne (1918-1941), Australian Sub-Lieutenant from Kedron, Queensland, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 19
HMS Dorsetshire
  • Bob Byrne, British aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 20
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Thomas G Byrne (b. 1921), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Brighton, Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 21
  • Mr. Francis Byrne (b. 1920), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Forest Gate, Essex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 21
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Patrick Byrne (b. 1911), BEM, Irish CPO Cook from Ireland, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 22
  • Mr. Kenneth L. Byrne, British Boy 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 22
RMS Lusitania
  • Miss Nellie M. Byrne, American 3rd Class passenger from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 23
  • Mr. Michael G. Byrne, English 1st Class Passenger residing in New York, New York, USA returning on business to Liverpool, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 24
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. J.E. Byrne (d. 1912), aged 31, English Bedroom Steward from Ilford, London who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 25

The Byrne Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Certavi et vici
Motto Translation: I have fought and conquered.
  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  5. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  6. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  7. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  8. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  9. 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)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
  13. Convict Records of Australia (Retreived 2nd January 2021, retreived from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/catherine
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  16. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Oct. 2019
  17. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  18. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  19. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  20. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  21. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  22. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  23. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  24. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  25. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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