Thankfully local genealogist and historian Brian Mitchell has the answer having sorted the Dohertys from the McLaughlins, and the Gallaghers from the Kellys, in his book ‘The Top 300 Surnames of Derry-Londonderry’, published by Clearfield in Baltimore in the United States.
The book is based on the 1989 Foyle Community Directory, which lists 1,860 unique surnames in Derry City.
Brian looked at the number of entries and ranked the surnames in order of mentions. Where is yours in the list?
29. 11. Lynch.
11. Lynch. Irish: Derived from the personal name meaning mariner there were several septs of the name including one based in north Antrim and Derry. In medieval Galway Lynchs of Anglo-Norman origin were all-powerful. In England Lynch derived from a local name for someone who lived by a hill (Brian Mitchell). Lynch ranks 11th on the list with 96 entries. Pictured is Derry athlete Gerry Lynch with Ciara Fraser from local charity Hurt in 2010. Photo: Martin McKeown.
30. 10. McDaid.
10. McDaid. Irish: This County Donegal sept was a branch of the O'Dohertys. Meaning son of David they take their name from the O'Doherty chief of that name who died in 1208. In a few cases McDaid may be a variant of the Scottish clan name Davidson (Brian Mitchell). McDaid ranks 10th in the list with 105 mentions. Pictured is Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid with his partner Courtney Cox. Photo: Archive
31. 9. Campbell.
9. Campbell. Scots Gaelic: Derived from a nickname meaning crooked mouth, the Campbells of Argyll grew in power through the 17th century at the expense of the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles. Most Ulster Campbells are of this connection. The galloglasses of mercenary soldiers of Clan Campbell settled in Donegal from the 15th century. Irish: The County Tyrone sept of McCawell, whose name meant son of the battle chief, was anglicised as Campbell. At the height of their power in the 12th century, from their base at Clogher, they controlled a large portion of County Tyrone and had penetrated deep into County Fermanagh (Brian Mitchell). Campbell ranks ninth on the list with 110 mentions. Pictured is DUP MP Gregory Campbell. Photo: Lorcan Doherty
32. 8. Bradley.
8. Bradley. Irish: The territory of this sept was on the borders of Counties Derry, Donegal and Tyrone. In Derry, Bradley will largely be of this origin. Scots-Gaelic: A branch of the Irish Bradleys settled in the Western Highlands where one of its members became Abbot of Iona in the 12th century. Lowland Scottish: Derived from the place name of Braidlie in Roxburghshire (Brian Mitchell). Bradley ranks eighth in the list with 110 mentions. Pictured is Undertone and BBC radio producer Mickey Bradley. Photo: Archive