The most frequent family names with roots in County Carlow — names that spread through Ireland and the Irish diaspora:
Carlow is the second-smallest county in Ireland, hugging the west bank of the Barrow river. The county town, also called Carlow, was one of the most fought-over settlements in medieval Ireland — its strategic position on the border between the English Pale and Gaelic Leinster made it a perpetual frontier.
The Kavanaghs were the dominant Gaelic family of the county — descendants of the Kings of Leinster, they maintained their power long after the Norman conquest. The MacMurrough Kavanaghs were still resisting English authority in the seventeenth century. The name Kavanagh derives from Caomhánach — a follower of Saint Kevin.
Browne's Hill Dolmen, just outside Carlow town, has the largest capstone of any megalithic structure in Europe — estimated to weigh over 100 tonnes. It dates from 4000 BC. The county has a high density of megalithic monuments for its size.
Carlow emigrants went primarily to England and America, with significant concentrations in the Manchester-Liverpool corridor and in New York State. The county's modest size meant its diaspora was proportionally large relative to the total population.
Love Ireland covers the Barrow Valley, Browne's Hill Dolmen, and the quiet Blackstairs Mountains that separate Carlow from Wexford. Small county, substantial heritage.
Subscribe to Love Ireland — FreeIf your family came from County Carlow, here's where to start your research:
Common County Carlow surnames with dedicated pages on this site: