Franklin
An Irish surname of Tipperary. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 120,621 people, the 251st most common surname in the country.
Frainclín, le frankelein. This family stood in Co. Dublin.
Where the name comes from
Frainclín is the Norman le frankelein, a small freeholder. Walter le frankelein was one of the Free Citizens of Dublin between 1225 and 1250, and the name is not uncommon in north-east Limerick and Tipperary.
Tipperary, photographed
Photographs made in Tipperary.
Tipperary
Tipperary is landlocked. The Golden Vale running through it is the best dairy land in Ireland. The Galtees are along the southern border, with Galtymore at 917 metres. The Rock of Cashel is a limestone outcrop with a medieval cathedral and round tower on top of it.
Notable bearers
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), writer, politician, and diplomat.
Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), singer, composer, and songwriter.
Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), university teacher, physicist, and chemist.
John Franklin (1786-1847), botanist, explorer, and scientist.
Missy Franklin (born 1995), swimmer.
About this page
The counties on this page are where the name was thickest on the ground in Ireland a century and a half ago, not a claim about any one family. Names moved around inside the country as much as they left it. The photographs are mine, made in the counties named.
More Irish surnames: Johnson · Collins · Murphy · Howard · Coleman · Hayes · Mason · Palmer · Warren · Ryan · Lane · Obrien
How common the name was
In 1890, 12 births were registered under Franklin in Ireland, most of them in Limerick and Tipperary.
| Munster | 9 | 75% |
|---|---|---|
| Leinster | 2 | 17% |
| Ulster | 1 | 8% |
| Connacht | 0 | 0% |
| Ireland | 12 |
Limerick is the one I haven't worked in.