Write down your family names. On a piece of paper, write down as many family names, or surnames, as you can recall. Call your grandparents, aunts, uncles or any other relatives who may know the last names and maiden names of your grandparents, great-grandparents or relatives who have died. Obtain the correct spellings of these names, if you can, as the spelling can determine the origin of your family line.
Check your list on House of Names. House of Names is a website that can tell you where your individual surnames originated. Simply type the surname in the box on their website, and you can find out the country, history, age, and name variations of your family. By researching your Irish surnames on House of Names, you can discover where in Ireland your family originated. You can also purchase a coat of arms specific to your family name from the House of Names. For a link to House of Names, see the resources below.
Research an Irish surname at the library. If you have researched an Irish surname on House of Names, you may have discovered that your family ancestry has a written history. Many times, a genealogy group will self-publish books on family histories, which can be ordered or found at your local library. Check with your local library to see if anyone has written a book about your Irish ancestry.
Evaluate your family names. You can learn a lot about Irish history through the spelling of the last name. An "O" at the beginning of the name, for example, translates to "grandson of" or "descendant of." A "Mac" or "Mc" at the beginning of the name translates to "son of." The last part of the name can indicate the original descendant of the family line, or where the family name split into a new surname.
Add "O" or "Mac" to your surname. If you are having trouble locating your surname on House of Names, and you have a strong feeling that you have Irish ancestry, add "O" or "Mac" at the beginning of your surname when you research. Immigrants to America would often drop the surname prefix upon arrival.