Irish name

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Irish name" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, most surnames are patronymic surnames, distinct from patronyms, which are seen in Icelandic names, for example. The form of a surname varies according to whether its bearer is a man, a woman, or a woman married to a man, who adopts his surname.

An alternative traditional naming convention consists of the first name followed by a double patronym, usually with the father and grandfather's names. This convention is not used for official purposes but is generalized in Gaeltachtaí (Irish-speaking areas) and also survives in some rural non-Gaeltacht areas. Sometimes the name of the mother or grandmother may be used instead of the father or grandfather.