Padden, corruption of Padruic, Irish for Patrick. A patrician; a nobleman. Paddin is another spelling of the name.
Pearson. Pearsan, genitive of pearsa. A person.
Pollard. Poll, a hole, a pit; ard, high, chief, supreme. A high hole; a deep pit.
Q.
Quillin. Cuillean, a cur. Quillen, a slightly changed, and Quill, a largely abbreviated form of the same word.
Quin. Caoin, pronounced kween, weeping, wailing. Quinn, of like derivation.
Quinlivan. Caoin, weeping; luib́, pronounced liv, genitive luib́e, grass, weed; an for tan, garden. A garden of weeping grass.
Quinney. Caoin, weeping; ney from neać, an individual. A mourner.
R.
Rainear. Rainn, genitive of rann, song, poem, stanza; ear for fear, a man. A singer; a minstrel; a poet. Rainier, a name farthest removed from the primitive form, but the one that is most generally used.
Rainey. Rainn, genitive of rann, song, poem; eać, an individual. A writer of songs; a poet. Raney, Reaney, cognate names.
Redfearn. Anglo-Saxon read, red; Irish fearn, pronounced fārn, alder-tree. The red alder-tree.
Regan. Riǵ, king; an for tan, possessions, country. A kingdom. Reagan, Ragan, and, perhaps, Rogan, of like import.
Reilly. Raǵallać, from riaǵail, a rule; ać, an agent. A ruler; a king. Reilley, Reily, Rielly, Riley, cognate forms.
Richardson. Mac Risdeard, son of Richard. Richards, Dicson, Dixon, have the same signification, Richard, in Old German, meaning rich-hearted, powerful.
Rock. Roć, pronounced rokh, rock, a large stone.
Rourk. Ruarcać, from rad́arc, pronounced rooarc, sight, and ać, an individual. An observant person; a man of judgment. Rourke, Rorke, Rork, Riark, referable to the same roots.
Rox. Rocks, from roć, a rock, and Anglo-Saxon sun, son. Son of Rock.
Ruan. Run, pronounced roon, secret, dear, beloved. Ruane, Ruene, analogous words.
Runey. Run, secret, beloved; ney for neać, an individual, an agent. One that is beloved. Rooney, Roney, common spellings of the name.
Ryan. Riǵin, pronounced ry-an, slow.
S.
Searle. Soḿairle, pronounced Sowarley, Sorley, or Charles. Shorley is from the same root, only the initial consonant has its characteristic force before the slender vowel e.
Sewell. Suil, pronounced soo-ill, the eye. Sewall, a slightly modified form of the name.
Shane. Sean, pronounced shane, old. Shan, Shean, Sheain, Sheahan, Sheehan, of similar derivation.
Shannon. Sean, old; aḿan, pronounced awan, river. An ancient river.
Shaughney. Seaǵain, pronounced Shawn, genitive of Seaǵan, John; neać, an individual, an agent. The helpmeet of John.
Sheely. Sile, pronounced Shee-le, Celia.
Shinn. Sinn, pronounced shinn, we, us. Sinn, the same, only the s has not taken its accustomed sound of sh before the slender vowel i.
Sinnott. Sinn, we, us; aid́, or aoid́, a person. One who uses the pronoun we; an editor; a reviewer; a governor. Sinett, Synott, Shenett, Sennett, equivalent names.
Smiggins. Smiggin, from smigin, the chin; s, contraction of sun, Anglo-Saxon for son. Son of Smiggin; son of the chin.
Stephenson. Mac Steṕain, from mac, son, and Steṕain, genitive of Steṕan, Stephen. Son of Stephen. Fitzstephen has the same signification.
Sullivan. Sul-a-b́ean, from sul, the eye; a, of; b́ean, woman. The eye of woman.
Sully. Sul, the eye; genitive suile, pronounced soo-il-le, belonging to the eye.
Sweegan. Saoi, pronounced swee, a philosopher, a man of letters; gan, descendant. The offspring of a philosopher.
Sweeney. Saoi, a gentleman, a hero; neać, an individual, an agent. A valet; an aid-de-camp.
T.
Taine. Teine, pronounced tain, fire. Toyne, greatly modified form of the original.
Tammaney. Tam, still, sluggish, placid; neać, an individual, an agent. A cool, calm, deliberate person.
Taney. Teine, fire; neać, an agent, an individual. An ardent, zealous man.
Tenney. Teann, pronounced tane, straight, independent, stubborn, hopeful, strong, reliant; eać for neać, an individual. A strong, hopeful, reliant person. Tenny, Teeney, Teeny, of similar import.
Terrell. Tir, pronounced teer, a country; ell for aill, a cliff. The cliff-country. Tirrill, Tyrell, familiar forms of the same name.
Terry. Tir, country; riǵ, the king. The king’s country.
Thoreau. Torad́, pronounced thoroo, produce, fruit, fruitfulness.
Tierney. Tir, country; neać, an individual. A countryman; a farmer.
Tighe. Tiǵe, pronounced tighe, genitive of teać, a house. Belonging to a house.
Toole. Tuile, pronounced too-il-e, a flood. Tool, Tull, Tully, cognate names.
Torrey. Torać, pronounced torach, thunder.
Trall. Traill, pronounced trawll, a slave, a bastard.
Trombar. Trom, heavy; barr, top, summit. Top-heavy. Trumbar, similarly derived.
V.
Van Barr. Van, Dutch for son, doubtless from Irish bean, woman; barr, summit, top. Son of Barr; son of a man of eminence.
Vannaman. Van-na-mann, from van, son; na, of the; mann, man. Son of the man. Names commencing with van are considered by writers of philology as Dutch, but in many such terms the student readily perceives an Irish origin. Van, without doubt, is nothing but bean, the Irish for woman, with its initial consonant aspirated.
W.
Williamson. Mac Uilleam, from mac, son; Uilleam, genitive of Uilliam, William. Son of William. Fitzwilliam, Williams and MacWilliam are forms of the word, the last being the Irish name assumed by the Bourkes of Connaught on the death of their chief, William De Bourg, third earl of Ulster.
Y.
Yarnall. Eireann, genitive of Eire, Ireland; aill, a cliff. A cliff of Ireland.
Yarrick. Eire, Ireland; eać for neać, an individual. An Irishman.
Yarrow. Iar, western; ać, fragmentary form of neać, pronounced ach, or agh, an individual. A western man; a native of Ireland.