Corbett in Ireland has two distinct origins: a Gaelic strand from Mac Corbmaic — 'son of Corbmac', an ancient Irish personal name — concentrated in Roscommon and Connacht; and a Norman strand from de Corbet, derived from Old French corbet (little raven or crow), brought by Anglo-Norman settlers. The raven symbolism of the Norman name is appropriate: ravens were birds of omen and power in both Norman heraldry and Celtic mythology, and the name's association with the raven connects two cultural traditions that met in medieval Ireland. Today Corbett is found across Ireland but with the strongest concentrations in Roscommon and the Connacht counties.
Primary county: Roscommon {c.strip()}{c.strip()}
History and Origins
The Mac Corbmaic sept of Roscommon were a Connacht Gaelic family established in the territory that is now County Roscommon — the heart of the old kingdom of Connacht. The personal name Corbmac is one of the most ancient in Gaelic tradition, borne by several early kings and legendary figures, most notably Cormac mac Airt, the semi-legendary High King of Ireland associated with Tara in the third century AD. Mac Corbmaic families of Roscommon traced their descent from this venerable name-stock.
The Norman de Corbet
The de Corbet family came to Ireland with the Norman settlement from the twelfth century onward. The Norman surname de Corbet derived from a place-name in Normandy (Corbet, from the Old French word for crow or raven) and the family had branches in England, Wales, and Ireland. In Ireland, Norman Corbett families settled primarily in Leinster and Munster, though some moved into Connacht as the Norman presence expanded westward. Over generations, the distinction between Gaelic Mac Corbmaic and Norman de Corbet dissolved, with both communities using the anglicised Corbett.
Roscommon and Connacht History
Roscommon was a contested county throughout Irish history — at the boundary of the O'Connor kingdom, the Mac Dermot territory, and the zone of Norman expansion under the Burkes. The Corbett name is woven into Roscommon history through the medieval and early modern periods. The Cromwellian transplantation of the 1650s, which forced many Catholic landholders west of the Shannon, brought additional Catholic families into the Connacht zone, mixing with established Roscommon families including the Corbetts. The Land War of the 1870s–1890s, which was particularly intense in Roscommon and Galway, saw Corbett families among the tenant farming community fighting for land rights.
The Famine Impact in Connacht
Roscommon was one of the counties most devastated by the Great Famine of 1845–1852. The county's pre-Famine population of approximately 254,000 fell by more than a third within a decade through death and emigration. Corbett families from Roscommon emigrated primarily to the United States — to New York, New England, and the industrial midwest — carrying the name into the Irish-American diaspora.
The Diaspora
The Corbett diaspora is spread across the United States, Britain, and Australia. American Corbetts arrived primarily through the Famine emigration from Roscommon and Connacht, with communities in New York, Boston, and Chicago. The Roscommon-New York corridor was among the strongest emigrant links in Connacht, and Corbett appears in New York Catholic parish records from the 1840s onward.
In British entertainment, the name Corbett is perhaps best known through Ronnie Corbett (1930–2016), the Scottish comedian who formed one half of The Two Ronnies alongside Ronnie Barker. Born in Edinburgh to a Scottish family with Irish ancestry, Corbett's wit and his distinctive physical presence — he stood just 5'1" — made him one of Britain's best-loved comedians across six decades. His Corbett surname connects to the Norman and Gaelic traditions that both produced the name in the British Isles.
How to Research Corbett Ancestry
Corbett research in Ireland should focus on County Roscommon for the Connacht Gaelic branch, with secondary searches in Galway and Tipperary. IrishGenealogy.ie provides civil registration records from 1864 and Catholic parish registers. Griffith's Valuation shows Corbett concentrations in north and east Roscommon. The Roscommon Heritage and Genealogy Centre provides specialist local research resources. Note that the spelling Corbett is standard in Ireland, but Corbet (single 't') and Corbitt are also found in records and should be searched. For American emigrants, New York, Boston, and Chicago records are the primary starting points.
Notable Corbett Families
- Ronnie Corbett (1930–2016) — Scottish comedian of Irish ancestry, one half of The Two Ronnies alongside Ronnie Barker. His television career spanned six decades and he was regarded as one of Britain's finest comic performers.
- Gentleman Jim Corbett (1866–1933) — American heavyweight boxing champion (1892–1897) of Irish descent, born in San Francisco to a Cork immigrant family. He defeated John L. Sullivan to become world heavyweight champion and was known as the first scientific boxer.
- Henry Corbett (19th century) — Roscommon-born Famine emigrant who settled in New York, representative of the Connacht emigrant communities that transformed Irish-American urban life in the mid-nineteenth century.
- Percy Corbett (1892–1983) — Canadian lawyer and legal scholar of Irish descent, Professor of International Law at Yale University and one of the leading international law scholars of the mid-twentieth century.
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