Origin & Meaning of the Surname O'Brien

This great and illustrious sept, bearing the titles Earls of Thomond, Viscount Clare and Earls of Inchiquin, take their name from Brian Boru (941 - 1014), High King of Ireland, who was killed at the Battle of Clontarf. A very powerful and outstanding sept in Irish history, the O'Briens divided into several branches and established themselves throughout Munster. The O'Briens of Ara (north Tipperary) had as their chief Mac Ui Bhriain Ara, circa 1300; those of County Limerick gave their name to the barony of Pubblebrien; and another sept was located near Dungarvan, County Waterford. In the Annals of Innisfallen, which deal principally with the southern half of Ireland, the O'Briens appear more often that any other sept. Murrough O'Brien (died 1551) was the first Earl of Thomond, a territory comprising most of County Clare with adjacent parts of Counties Limerick and Tipperary. Charles O'Brien, sixth Viscount Clare (1699 - 1771), became a Marshal of France, and William Smith O'Brien (1803 - 1864), was one of the best known of the Young Irelanders.

The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of O'Brien, which was dated circa 1055, in the "Annals of the Four Masters", during the reign of High Kings of Ireland "with opposition", 1022 - 1166. In Irish, the name O`brien means- Surname.. The name O`brien orginated as an Irish name. The name O`brien is most often used as a boy name or male name.

IRISH O'BRIEN CLAN

The O’Briens are one of the Great Dynastic families of Irish history. They take their name from Brian Boru (941-1014), the greatest of the high kings. After successes at Limerick and Cashel, he went on to achieve a decisive victory over the Vikings at the battle of Clontarf (1014), although he lost his life in the process. The O’Brien heartlands were in Thomond (North Munster), and they became earls of Thomond and Inchiquin. They were famed as soldiers, a calling that Murrough O’Brien (1614-1674) practised so enthusiastically that he became known as Murrough of the Burnings. The tartan is comparatively modern, owing its design to an Australian, Edward John O’Brien.

Irish O'Brien Tartan (Photo Courtesy of Clan O'Brien Site)