Ross

An Irish surname of Wexford and Wicklow. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 229,368 people, the 98th most common surname in the country.

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

de Ros

Mac Aindréis, Mac Aindriasa, son of Andrew (Latin Andreas)

Where the name comes from

de Ros is of Ross, a Gaelic place-name, probably in Scotland. Mac Aindréis, son of Andrew, is a Gaelic patronymic taken up by the Scottish family of Ross, and it gives MacAndrew as well.

Hook Lighthouse beam reflecting across calm waters at dusk, Co. Wexford — fine art landscape photograph by Peter Cox
Hook Lighthouse at Dusk, Wexford

The Ross counties, photographed

Wexford

Wexford gets more sunshine than anywhere else in Ireland. Hook Head lighthouse has been working since the thirteenth century, which makes it one of the oldest in the world. The beaches on that coast, Curracloe and Rosslare among them, run for miles and are mostly empty.

Black and white panoramic of Hook Head lighthouse and wild sea under brooding skies, Co. Wexford — fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxHook Head, Co. Wexford Co. Wexford Moonrise, Tramore, Co. WexfordMoonrise, Tramore, Co. Wexford Co. Wexford Long exposure of carnival Ferris wheel at night on the coast, Tramore, Co. Wexford, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxCarnival, Tramore, Co. Wexford Co. Wexford

Wicklow

The Wicklow Mountains are granite and start about 20 km from the centre of Dublin. Glendalough is a glacial valley with two lakes and a monastic site founded in the sixth century, including a round tower. Brittas Bay is about five kilometres of sand.

Forest trail through woodland at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxForest Trail, Glendalough, Co. Wicklow Co. Wicklow Quiet cove at Brittas Bay with Mizen Head in the distance, Co. Wicklow, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxBrittas Bay & Mizen Head, Co. Wicklow Co. Wicklow Dawn light illuminating the crags of Luggala above Lough Tay, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDawn, Lough Tay, Co. Wicklow Co. Wicklow Purple heather blooming across the rolling Wicklow Mountains in AugustWicklow Mountains Co. Wicklow

All Wexford prints · All Wicklow prints

Notable bearers

Ronald Ross (1857-1932), novelist, poet, and physician.

Diana Ross (born 1944), actor and singer.

James Clark Ross (1800-1862), botanist, explorer, and naturalist.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926-2004), writer, physician, and essayist.

Bob Ross (1942-1995), painter, television presenter, and artist.

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: Smith · Brown · Miller · Wilson · Anderson · Thomas · Taylor · Moore · Jackson · Martin · Lee · Thompson

How common the name was

In 1890, 73 births were registered under Ross in Ireland, most of them in Wexford and Wicklow.

Ulster 54
Munster 10
Connacht 1
Leinster no figure printed
Ireland 73