Divine Ancestors: Find Out If You Descend From a Celtic God or Goddess!

Do YOU descend from an ancient Celtic god or goddess? Compare your ancestors’ surnames (or your current name) to our database here and find out if your ancestor was divine! Backstory: recently I was doing research to find an ancestral god for someone and discovered that nearly every old Irish clan claims descent from a god or hero. I kept digging and made a list of the Irish clans and the gods and goddesses they claim as ancestors. If you see your name (or your ancestors’ name) on this list, you can claim divine descent!

READ THIS FIRST: Check the variations of each of your surnames and compare to what I have listed here. You can Google your surnames and find the variations. Why is this important? There are multiple versions of most Irish surnames. For example, my ancestors’ last name was McNally. Variations of McNally include: MacNally, MacNall, and MacAnally, etc.

Also Note: This is not an all-inclusive list as there are thousands of Irish surnames that could literally take up a book. I did my best with researching and gathering names, but if you don’t see your Irish surname in this article I highly recommend digging into the roots of your name. Look for your Irish clan then read through what sept or ancient tribal group they originate from. From there, you may be able to find your ancestral god or goddess!

1. The Cailleach: Winter Goddess & Divine Ancestor

The Cailleach is a crone goddess known well throughout Scotland and Ireland. She’s a creator and a goddess of transformation. AND she’s an ancestral goddess to many people alive today. There is more than one old Irish sept that claims her as an ancestor. If your ancestors were part of the Corcu Loigde or Corcu Duibne (later called the Dairine), you can claim Cailleach as your fairy goddess ancestor. Here are the surnames I’ve found linked to the Dairine:

• Coffey
• Flynn
• O’Connell
• O’Donovan
• O’Driscoll
• O’Falvey
• O’Leary
• O’Shea

2. Danu: Mother to the Tuatha De Dannan and the Corcu Duibne

The Corcu Duibne (already mentioned above) can also claim the Mother of the Tuatha De Dannan as their ancestor – the goddess Danu. Danu is a mother goddess and earth goddess. The River Danube is named for her. She’s also considered one of the faery folk and may be the same goddess as Anu, an aspect of the war goddess The Morrigan. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many sources left that tell her stories. Corcu Duibne translates to “seed of Duibhne” a.k.a. Danu.

If you have any of these Irish surnames in your ancestry, you descend from the Mother Goddess Danu:

• O’Connell
• O’Falvey
• O’Shea

3. Flidais: Celtic Goddess of the Forest

Flidais (pronounced flee-aysh) is an ancient Celtic Goddess of the earth, forest, and fertility often depicted with a set of antlers. Deer are under her watchful domain and she’ll often manifest in this form. She is one of the Tuatha De Dannan and was beloved by the Deisi people and later on claimed as an ancestor of the Dal gCais tribes.

If your ancestors’ name is in the list below, Flidais is your divine ancestor:

• Aherne
• Barron
• Boland
• Casey
• Clancy
• Clohessy
• Considine
• Couglan
• Downey
• Heffernan
• Hogan
• Hurley
• Kennedy
• McGrath
• McMahon
• McNamara
• O’Brien
• O’Carroll
• O’Curry
• O’Grady
• O’Hanrahan
• O’Mahoney
• Quinn
• Twomey

4. Lugh: Celtic Sun God and Divine Ancestor

Lugh is a Celtic sun god who is also part of the Tuatha De Dannan. Multiple Irish clans claimed Lugh as their god and ancestor. If your ancestors were part of the Eoganachta, Lugh is your Celtic god ancestor. One connection lies in the King Lughaid who claimed descent from Lugh, as well as Irish clans that claim descent from Cu Chulainn. This legendary hero claimed descent from Lugh, henceforth Irish clans connected to him are also descended from Lugh.

If your surname(s) match any below, you can claim Lugh as a divine ancestor:

• Bird
• Breen
• Cassidy
• Cowley
• Darragh
• Godfrey
• Heany
• Loughlin
• MacAleese
• MacAlilly
• MacBreen
• MacCaffrey
• MacCauley
• MacEleer
• MacMorrow
• MacNally
• Magee
• McCormack
• McGuire
• McManus

5. Brigid: Ancestral Goddess of Fire, Healing and Poetry

Brigid is one of the most beloved deities of old Celtic Ireland and Scotland. She is a goddess of the hearth, smithing, and healing. She is often depicted as a triple goddess and is honored by many modern pagans. After the church converted the Celtic people, the goddess Brigid lived on in the form of Saint Brigid, oe of the patron saints of Ireland. There are Irish clans from the Bairrche sept that claim descent from her.

If you have one of these names in your ancestry, Brigid is your divine ancestor:

• MacGorman
• McBride
• O’Gorman

6. Manannan Mac Lir: Divine Ancestor and Sea God

Manannan Mac Lir is an ancient Celtic sea god who is still well-known on the Isle of Man. In fact, the Isle of Man was named after this Son of the Sea himself. He is a protector of sailors and a god of abundance and the Otherworld. The Conmhaicne were an early race of people of Ireland, who some believe were “fathered by Oirbsiu” (another name for Manannan Mac Lir).

If you have any of these surnames in your ancestry, you are a grandchild of Manannan Mac Lir:

• Cloherty
• Conneely
• Devany
• Folan
• MacDorchy
• MacKeoghe
• MacNeela
• MacRannall
• MacShanley
• O’Farrell
• O’Kealy
• O’Manning
• O’Moran
• O’Mulvey
• O’Radaghan
• Reynolds
• Stone

7. Nuada: King of the Tuatha De Dannan

The King of the Tuatha De Dannan, the divine race of Celtic Irish gods, may be an ancestor of yours. Nuada is also known as Nechten and he’s the husband of the goddess Boann. As a warrior god, if his blood runs through your veins, you undoubtedly took on some of his characteristics. The Delbhna Nuadat was a group of lords who claimed ownership over a portion of land in modern County Roscommon.

If you or your ancestors have one of these surnames, you can claim descent from the god Nuada:

• O’Faherty
• O’Flanagan

8. Macha: Sun Goddess and Ancestral Mother

Macha is a sun goddess, a sovereignty goddess of Ulster, and one of the three sisters of The Morrigan. She’s associated with the earth, horses, war, love and fertility. Macha is also a fierce mother goddess who protects her children and descendants. Like her other divine counterparts here, she is also a divine ancestor to many Irish people today through the Ui Meith clans.

If you have this name or your ancestors carry one of these surnames, you descend from Macha:

• Beaky
• Beck
• Caldwell
• Ganey
• Hanvey
• Horish
• Horsiskey
• Marron
• Mearn
• Mulbride
• Mulready
• Smollen
• Waters

You Have Divine Blood…Now What?

Maybe you realized you descend from an ancient Celtic god or goddess. But now you’re wondering what to do with this information? It’s up to you what you do with the information. I’m not saying anyone is necessarily a god or that your ancestor was a god, I’m saying that these clans claimed it. This is similar to how the Egyptian pharaohs claimed to be gods or descend from the gods. It gave people status and probably fueled their religious rites and beliefs.

Aside from telling people your ancestor was a god, consider working with your ancestor in your spiritual practice. Research and study their lore and history. Set up an altar space. Provide offerings. Ask your ancestor to send you messages in your dreams and life. Immerse yourself in Irish Celtic culture. Better yet – embody the gods’ qualities that you find valuable. Bring them to the surface…as the gods are already within you.

Why Are There Only Irish and Scottish Surnames Here?

Unfortunately, if you don’t have Irish or Scottish ancestors, you might be wondering where the other names are. I wish I could find the same information for ALL cultures and heritages, but it doesn’t exist at this magnitude. Ireland had a Renaissance right before the Viking Age in which their clergy (who could read and write) began documenting Irish folklore, mythology, and history. Geneaology including names and locations of septs and clans was recorded, and we are lucky to have this information still today.

If you’re curious, there’s another way to find gods and goddesses in your ancestry that goes beyond Ireland and Scotland – by building a family tree. I use the Ancestry international version and was able to take one of my lines back to the year 2 BC to King Skjald who claimed ODIN as his father. So I am also able to claim Odin as an ancestor. Now, mind you, this took me years to find the connection but if you find a royal line in your ancestry you might be able to trace it back to a god or goddess! While I can’t supply you with other divine bloodlines at this time, I can help you find out more about your magical ancestors now. INCLUDING if you descend from Celtic Fairy Queen Goddesses! Read the links below to learn more!

Read More About Finding YOUR Magical and Pagan Ancestors:

• I Am Odin’s Granddaughter: How I Found the Allfather In My Family Tree
• Celtic Fairy Bloodlines: Do You Descend From an Ancient Fairy Queen?
• Ancient Ancestors: Our Ancient Bloodlines and Ways to Connect