McCarthy
Mac Cárthaigh · son of Cárthach
McCarthy is Mac Cárthaigh in Irish, said mak KAR-hig, and means son of Cárthach.
Cárthach means loving. Kings of Desmond, south Munster, and the builders of Blarney Castle, so the stone and the family come together.
How it changes
- A man: Mac Cárthaigh
- His daughter: Nic Cárthaigh
- A woman who married into it: Bean Mhic Cárthaigh
- The family together: Mhic Cárthaigh
Where it comes from
Cork and Kerry
Also spelt
McCarthy, MacCarthy, Carthy, McCarty
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.