Find out how popular the last name O'Byrne is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named O'Byrne.

O'Byrne, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the O'Byrne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Byrne in America

O'Byrne is the 21717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Byrne surname appeared 1,198 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname O'Byrne.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'Byrne to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name O'Byrne

The surname OBYRNE originated in Ireland, with its earliest known references dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Ó Broin, meaning "descendant of Bron." The name Bron is believed to have been a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "bron," meaning "a mourner" or "a sorrowful person."

The OBYRNE surname was particularly prevalent in County Wicklow, where the family was among the most powerful septs (clans) in the region. They held significant lands and influence in the medieval period. The name is also found in various historic records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which chronicle Irish history from the earliest times to the 17th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the OBYRNE surname was Domhnall Ó Broin, who was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters as the Lord of Uí Felmeda (a territory in County Wicklow) in 1170. Another notable figure was Muircheartach Ó Broin, who served as the Chief of Uí Felmeda in the late 12th century.

In the 14th century, the OBYRNE family played a significant role in the ongoing conflicts between the Anglo-Norman settlers and the native Irish clans. Fearghal Ó Broin, who was born around 1300, was a prominent leader of the OBYRNE sept and fought against the English forces during the Irish Bruce Wars.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, many members of the OBYRNE family were involved in the ongoing struggles for control of Ireland. Fiach Ó Broin (c. 1560-1629) was a notable figure who served as the Chief of Uí Felmeda and fought against the English during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603).

Other notable individuals with the OBYRNE surname include:

1. Donal Cam Ó Broin (c. 1550-1612), a military leader who fought against English forces in the Battle of Glenmalure in 1580.
2. Aodh Ó Broin (c. 1570-1635), a poet and historian who wrote extensively about the history and genealogy of the OBYRNE family.
3. Seán Ó Broin (c. 1620-1693), a Catholic priest and scholar who wrote several theological works.
4. Piaras Ó Broin (1774-1857), a renowned Irish language scholar and lexicographer who compiled an important dictionary of the Irish language.
5. Éamonn Ó Broin (1857-1935), a prominent Irish language revivalist and writer who published several works promoting the preservation of Irish culture and language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Byrne

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'Byrne.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for O'Byrne was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of O'Byrne has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name O'Byrne was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of O'Byrne, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!