Contents [hide]

Byrnes History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Byrnes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Byrnes

What does the name Byrnes mean?

The surname Byrnes 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 Byrnes family

The surname Byrnes 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 Byrnes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byrnes 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 Byrnes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byrnes Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Byrnes are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Byrne, Byrnes, O'Byrne, O'Byrnes and others.

Early Notables of the Byrnes family

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

Byrnes Ranking

In the United States, the name Byrnes is the 3,169^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Byrnes is ranked the 676^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,796 people with that name. 4

Byrnes migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Byrnes or a variant listed above:

Byrnes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Garrett Byrnes, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1801 5
Mat Byrnes, who arrived in America in 1805 5
Mathew Byrnes, aged 26, who arrived in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1805 5
Nicholas Byrnes, who landed in New York, NY in 1810 5
John Byrnes, who landed in New York, NY in 1810 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Byrnes migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Byrnes Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Byrnes U.E. who settled in Prince Edward County, Ontario c. 1783 6

Byrnes Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ann Byrnes, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1800
Michael Byrnes, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1829
Mary Byrnes, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1830
James Byrnes, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
Edmund Byrnes, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1832
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Byrnes migration to Australia +

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

Byrnes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Byrnes, English convict who was convicted in Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
John Byrnes, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constance" in 1849 8
Ellen Byrnes, aged 17, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Elgin" in 1849 9
Ellen Byrnes, aged 17, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 9
William Byrnes, aged 29, a herdsman, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Byrnes 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:

Byrnes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Lizzie Byrnes, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dunedin" in 1875 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Byrnes (post 1700) +

Steven Patrick "Steve" Byrnes (1959-2015), American television announcer and producer
John W. Byrnes (1913-1985), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin (1945-1973)
Thomas F. Byrnes (1842-1910), American gasfitter, firefighter and police officer, New York City Police Inspector (1880-1895)
Eugene Francis "Gene" Byrnes (1889-1907), American comic artist, creator of the long-running comic strip Reg'lar Fellers which ran from 1917 to 1949
Garrett Byrnes (b. 1971), German-born, American composer
Edd Byrnes (b. 1933), born Edward Byrne Breitenberger, an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip
James F. Byrnes (1882-1972), American politician, U.S. Secretary of State (1945 to 1947), 104th Governor of South Carolina (1951 to 1955)
Kevin P. Byrnes (b. 1950), U.S. Army 4-star general
Robert L. Byrnes, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
James Byrnes (1806-1886), Australian politician, two-time Secretary for Public Works
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Byrnes 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.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constance.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HYDASPES 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Hydaspes.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 9th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html