New
Just released:
1926 Census of the Irish Free State§

Could your roots run through Irish soil? Newly released after 100 years, the 1926 Census of Ireland opens up the years after the formation of the Irish Free State between WWI and WWII. Explore your ancestors’ names, ages, relationships, birthplace, religion and more today.

  • Names, ages, homes and occupations, all in one place
  • A rare 1926 snapshot, newly available
  • See your ancestor’s name in their own handwriting

For anyone starting with a name, it could be the missing link, showing where it appears, who carried it, and how lives were changing at a pivotal moment in history.

Was my name always like this?

Turn your questions into answers with Ancestry. Explore billions of records to uncover how your name has changed, travelled and evolved across generations.

Your name might feel fixed.
History says otherwise.

Names weren't always set in stone

  • Spelling wasn’t standardised before the late 1800s
  • Names were written as they sounded
  • Accents and dialects reshaped them over time

It might hide a meaning

  • O’ / Ó → descendant of
  • Mac / Mc → son of
  • Fitz → son of (from fils de)

It didn’t always come from family

  • Some surnames came from jobs → Taylor, Smith, Butler,
  • Some came from places → Brook, Hill, Wood
  • In some families, names changed every generation

How to get started

How to get started