MacNamara
Mac Conmara · son of the hound of the sea
MacNamara is Mac Conmara in Irish, said mak kun-a-MAR-a, and means son of the hound of the sea.
Cú mara, the hound of the sea. Marshals to the O’Briens of Thomond, which meant they inaugurated the king, and they built more castles in Clare than any other family.
How it changes
- A man: Mac Conmara
- His daughter: Nic Conmara
- A woman who married into it: Bean Mhic Conmara
- The family together: Mhic Conmara
Where it comes from
Clare
Also spelt
MacNamara, McNamara, Macnamara
A name, not a pedigree
This is where the name came from, which is not the same as where you came from. Names were translated, anglicised, taken on by tenants and neighbours, and carried in by settlers who were no relation to the family that started them. To follow your own line, the 1901 and 1911 censuses are free and searchable, and give the county each person was born in.