What is the origin of the surname Byrne?

Answer 1

The last name Byrne is an old Irish surname. Claiming descent from Bran, the king of Leinster, who died in 1052. The Byrne clan originated in County Kildare where they held extensive territory until the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169 - 1170. From there they migrated to Wicklow where they occupied the country between Rathdrum and Shillelagh.

Their name in Irish is properly O'Broin, meaning the male descendant of Bron, the raven. The O'Broins were noteworthy for their resistance to foreign aggression, and they continued to inaugurate native chiefs up to the end of the 16th Century.

Alderman Alfred Byrne (1882 - 1956), a distinguished member of the clan, was ten times Lord Mayor of Dublin.

The Byrne coat of arms has the blazon of a red shield charged with a chevron between three silver dexter hands couped at the wrist, the Crest being a mermaid with comb and mirror proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name may be that of Fiacha Mac Hugh O'Byrne, the military leader, dated 1544 - 1595, in the Historical Records of Dublin.