O’Mahony
Ó Mathúna · descendant of Mathghamhain
O’Mahony is Ó Mathúna in Irish, said oh MA-hoo-na, and means descendant of Mathghamhain.
Mathghamhain means a bear, and the Mathghamhain in question was Brian Boru’s brother, killed in 976. The family held the sea cliffs of west Cork and built a string of castles along them.
How it changes
- A man: Ó Mathúna
- His daughter: Ní Mhathúna
- A woman who married into it: Bean Uí Mhathúna
- The family together: Uí Mhathúna
Where it comes from
west Cork
Also spelt
O’Mahony, Mahony, Mahoney, Mahon
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.