Johnson

An Irish surname of Antrim, Cork, and Dublin. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 1,932,812 people, the 2nd most common surname in the country.

Johnson 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.

Mac Eóin, son of John. This family stood in Co. Antrim.

Mac Seagháin, Mac Seáin, son of Jean. This family stood in Co. Tyrone.

Mac Seóin, son of John (Compare with Mac Seáin , from the French Jean)

Where the name comes from

Mac Seáin is son of Jean, the Norman-French form of John, and it gives MacShane, MacCheyne, Shane, Cheyne and Johnson. The MacShanes of Tyrone are a branch of the O'Neills.

Mac Eóin, son of John, is an Irish surname assumed by a branch of the Scottish family of Bissett who settled in the Glinns of Antrim in the 13th century; MacKeon, MacKeown, Keon and Keown all come from it. Mac Seóin is a third, and it gives Jones as well as Johnson.

The Giant's Causeway at twilight with wet hexagonal basalt columns stretching to the sea and long exposure blurred waves
The Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim

The Johnson counties, photographed

Antrim

The Antrim coast road runs about 25 miles between the cliffs and the sea, with nine glens coming down to it. The rock is basalt, the same flow that formed the Giant's Causeway. Scotland is 12 miles off at the narrowest point and visible on a clear day.

The iconic Dark Hedges beech tree tunnel near Armoy in County Antrim with intertwined branches forming a brooding canopyThe Dark Hedges, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Long exposure of Pan's Rock with its footbridge at dawn on the Antrim Causeway Coast, silky water and blurred clouds, Rathlin Island on the horizonPan's Rock, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Sunrise over Colliery Bay with Fair Head cliffs and mountains, Co. Antrim, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxColliery Bay & Fair Head, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Dunluce Castle on coastal cliffs with long exposure sea, Co. Antrim, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDunluce Castle, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim

Cork

Cork is the largest county in Ireland. Three peninsulas run west into the Atlantic: Beara, Sheep's Head and Mizen, with the population thinning the further out you go. My gallery is in Glengarriff at the head of Bantry Bay, so it's the ground I photograph most.

Rugged Atlantic coastline at Allihies, Cork, Ireland, with layered slate cliffs, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxAllihies Coast, Cork Co. Cork Sunset over Dun an Oir ruins and sea stacks on Cape Clear Island, Cork, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDún an Óir, Cape Clear Island, Cork Co. Cork The Fastnet Lighthouse standing proud on a calm summer evening off West Cork in black and white panoramic viewThe Fastnet Lighthouse, Co. Cork Co. Cork Aerial view of the Fastnet Lighthouse surrounded by angry seas off West Cork with Cape Clear Island on the horizonThe Fastnet from the Air Co. Cork

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.

Moonlight reflecting on the sea near the Muglins lighthouse off Dalkey Island, Dublin, with the Kish light on the horizonThe Muglins by Moonlight II Co. Dublin 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

All Antrim prints · All Cork prints · All Dublin prints

Notable bearers

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973), politician, teacher, and statesperson.

Boris Johnson (born 1964), politician and journalist.

Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), politician, military officer, and governor.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), writer, politician, and poet.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born 1938), writer, politician, and entrepreneur.

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: Collins · Murphy · Howard · Coleman · Hayes · Mason · Palmer · Warren · Ryan · Lane · Franklin · Obrien

How common the name was

In 1890, 58 births were registered under Johnson in Ireland, most of them in Antrim, Cork, and Dublin.

Munster 21
Leinster 18
Ulster 16
Connacht no figure printed
Ireland 58