Maguire
An Irish surname of the Fermanagh ruling clan, usually explained as “son of Guaire” or as a form of the Gaelic Mac Uidhir/Mac Ghuibhir tradition.
The #2,173 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,473 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Maguire is an anglicized Irish surname associated with the powerful medieval sept of Fermanagh. Some older authorities explain it as meaning “son of Guaire,” with Guaire taken as a Gaelic personal name often glossed as Godfrey. Other sources connect it with Gaelic forms such as Mac Uidhir or Mac Ghuibhir, which later gave rise to spellings like MacGuire; the exact early form is not always treated consistently in older scholarship.
History
The Maguires were the leading family of Fermanagh for centuries, long after the English invasion, and the name is strongly tied to that territory. Historical writers also note that the chief of this race was associated with Enniskillen. In modern usage the surname is widespread in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora, with Maguire and MacGuire both appearing in records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older genealogical writers sometimes treated Maguire as the surname of a ruling dynasty rather than just a family name, because the sept dominated Fermanagh for so long.
From the historical record
“MAGSON, Mag(g)'s Son : v. Maggs. MAGUIRE = Mac Guire, q.v. MAHER (Celt.) for their. O'DfaheroxO'Meagh- er. Descendant of Meachair = the Fair, Handsome [Ir. and Gael. meachair\ MAHON I (Celt.) the Bear [Ir. and Gael. MAHONE J tnathghamhuin] MAH8Nr}f°'-°''^^'^''"«y''i-^- MAIDMAN (Eng.) i Meadow-Man lO.E.mckd”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)