Byrne Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Byrne Family History

Byrne Family History

The ancient origin of the name Byrne was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Byrne include O'Beirne and Burn. Byrne is an Irish surname meaning 'the brook'. The O'Byrnes were driven from their territory in County Kildare at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion and then settled in County Wicklow. There were originally two Septs of the O'Byrnes, one of which sank into obscurity, but the other became of great importance and were noteworthy for their resistance to the English. Their territory was known as Crioch Branach and the Sept was called Ui Broin. Many of these were renowned in the military history of Ireland, the most famous being Feagh or Fiacha MacHugh O'Byrne, 1544-1597, for his part in the escape of Hugh Roe from Dublin Castle.The Byrne family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Byrne descendants.