Hunt

An Irish surname of Dublin and Mayo. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 158,421 people, the 169th most common surname in the country.

Hunt is the anglicised form of three distinct Irish names. Some you can hear in the English name; others look and sound nothing like it, and were simply swapped for it.

Hunt. This family stood in Co. Dublin and Co. Meath.

Ó Fiachra, Ó Fiachrach, descendant of Fiachra (an ancient Irish personal name). This family stood in Co. Tyrone and Co. Wicklow.

Ó Fiaich, descendant of Fiach (raven)

Where the name comes from

Hunt is the Norman le Hunte, the huntsman, and that family came about the time of the invasion and settled in Dublin and Meath. It was never very common, and nearly all our Hunts are of native origin.

The native ones got here by mistranslation. Ó Fiachra, descendant of Fiachra, belonged to a family in Co. Tyrone and another in Co. Wicklow, both long dispersed, and is in some places made Hunt by supposed translation. Ó Fiaich, descendant of Fiach, a raven, was an ecclesiastical family in Ulster who were erenaghs (the hereditary lay heads of families that held church lands) of Derrybrusk near Enniskillen, and it comes down as Fee, Foy, Fay and Hunt.

Moonlight reflecting on the sea near the Muglins lighthouse off Dalkey Island, Dublin, with the Kish light on the horizon
The Muglins by Moonlight II

The Hunt counties, photographed

Dublin

Dublin is a county as well as a city. The bay has Howth at the north end and Killiney Hill at the south, the Muglins are a pair of rocks off Dalkey, and the Dublin Mountains start about half an hour from the city centre.

Long exposure panoramic view of the White Rock swimming platform at Killiney Bay, Dublin, floating in misty high-tide watersThe White Rock, Killiney Bay, Co. Dublin Co. Dublin Heron fishing at dawn on the Dublin coast — fine art wildlife photograph by Peter CoxHeron, Co. Dublin Co. Dublin

Mayo

Achill is the largest island off the Irish coast and is joined to the mainland by a bridge. Clew Bay is full of drumlins that were drowned when the sea rose, which is where the story about an island for every day of the year comes from. Croagh Patrick stands over the south side of the bay. Mayo's population is still less than half what it was before the Famine.

Black and white view across Doo Lough towards Ben Gorm and mountains, Co. Mayo, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDoo Lough, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo Black and white view of Dun Briste sea stack from a sea cave, Co. Mayo, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDún Briste from the Cave Co. Mayo Black and white lone tree standing in bogland with the Partry Mountains behind, County MayoLone Tree, Partry Mountains, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo Black and white long exposure of Dun Briste sea stack at Downpatrick Head, Co. Mayo, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDún Briste, Downpatrick Head, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo Moonrise over Croagh Patrick at night with trees and coastal lights, Co. Mayo, Ireland, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxCroagh Patrick and Moon, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo Incoming tide flowing around rocks at Silver Strand beach at the base of Mweelrea Mountain, County MayoSilver Strand, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo Black and white infrared photograph of tree and stone wall with Lough Corrib beyond, Carrick, Co. Mayo, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxCarrick, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo Ben Creggan mountain reflected in lake, Doo Lough Valley, Co. Mayo, Ireland — fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxBen Creggan, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo Benwee Head and the Stags after sunset, coastal mountains, Co. Mayo, Ireland — fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxBenwee Head, Co. Mayo Co. Mayo

All Dublin prints · All Mayo prints

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: King · Reynolds · Ford · Hart · Burke · Banks · May · Hopkins · Leonard · Moran · Thornton · Higgins

How common the name was

In 1890, 76 births were registered under Hunt in Ireland, most of them in Dublin, Mayo, Roscommon, and Waterford.

Connacht 42
Munster 16
Leinster 14
Ulster 4
Ireland 76

Roscommon and Waterford are the ones I haven't worked in.