Thornton

An Irish surname of Dublin, Galway, and Mayo. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 83,967 people, the 373rd most common surname in the country.

Thornton is the anglicised form of four 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 Sceacháin, son of Sceachán (peevish one, diminutive of sceach , a briar). This family stood in Co. Monaghan.

Ó Draghnáin, Ó Draighneán, descendant of Draighneán (blackthorn). This family stood in Co. Cavan, Co. Galway, Co. Kilkenny, Co. Laois, and Co. Westmeath.

Ó Muineacháin

Ó Toráin, descendant of Torán (diminutive of tor , a lord). This family stood in Co. Derry.

Where the name comes from

Thornton is nearly always a translation, and one of them is a briar. Ó Draighneán is descendant of Draighneán, a blackthorn: a branch of the Siol Anmchadha in Co. Galway, and a Clare family formerly seated in the barony (an old land division, several parishes across) of Corcumroe. The name was also common in Cavan, Westmeath, Leix and Kilkenny, and it is more honestly Drennan.

Mac Sceacháin, son of Sceachán, a little briar and also a peevish one, is a Monaghan surname behind Skehan and Thornton. Ó Muineacháin is not a thorn at all, but it is popularly supposed to be connected with muineach, thorny, and so gets translated Thornton in some places. Ó Toráin, descendant of a little lord, from tor, was originally a Derry surname and lands here too.

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 Thornton 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

Galway

Connemara takes up the west of the county: the Twelve Bens, blanket bog, and fields walled off into very small squares. The Aran Islands sit at the mouth of Galway Bay. The Gaeltacht starts a few miles west of Galway city.

Enormous waves sending spray over 30-metre sea cliffs at Poll an tSeidein on Inis Meain, Aran Islands at sunsetPoll an tSéideáin, Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Co. Galway Co. Galway The rusting Plassey shipwreck on Inis Oirr, Aran Islands, seen from above with the Atlantic Ocean beyondThe Plassey, Inis Oirr, Aran Islands, Co. Galway Co. Galway Dramatic storm waves battering tall cliffs at sunset on the west coast of Inis Meain, Aran IslandsPoll an tSéideáin Panoramic, Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Co. Galway Co. Galway Turf drying at sunset with Connemara mountains in the background, Co. Galway, Ireland, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxConnemara Turf, Co. Galway Co. Galway Dramatic light slicing through a stormy Connemara landscape on the road towards Leenaun village, County GalwayThe Road to Leenaun, Co. Galway Co. Galway

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

All Dublin prints · All Galway prints · All Mayo prints

Notable bearers

Billy Bob Thornton (born 1955), actor, singer, and musician.

Big Mama Thornton (1926-1984), singer, musician, and songwriter.

Tiffany Thornton (born 1986), actor, singer, and radio personality.

Melody Thornton (born 1984), actor, singer, and model.

Melanie Thornton (1967-2001), singer.

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 · Hunt · Hart · Burke · Banks · May · Hopkins · Leonard · Moran · Higgins

How common the name was

In 1890, 51 births were registered under Thornton in Ireland, most of them in Dublin, Galway, and Mayo.

Connacht 24
Leinster 21
Ulster 6
Munster 3
Ireland 51