Byrn or O'Byrne together with its variants
Be(i)rne and Byrnes is one of the ten most frequent surnames in
Ireland today. In the original Irish the name is O'Broin
from the personal name Branmeaning Raven. It is traced
back to King Bran of Leinster who ruled in the eleventh century.
As a result of the Norman invasion the O'Byrnes were driven from
their original homeland in Co. Kildare into the south Co.Wicklow
in the early thirteenth century. There they grew in importance
over the years retaining control of the territory until the
early seventeenth despite repeated attempts by the English
authorities to dislodge them. Even today the vast majority of
the Irish who bear the name originate in Wicklow or the
surrounding counties.
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