I've been asked a question about Irish surnames recently and I didn't have an answer.

I was asked how you would refer to a married couple by their shared surname, like you might in English, "the O'Donovans", "the Doyles", "the McCarthys".

It occurs to me you'd probably have to use a construction like teaghlach Uí Dhonnabháin, clann Uí Dhubhghaill, muintir Mhic Cárthaigh. I know that clann and muintir are too broad to include just the married couple, but is there a better term than teaghlach? Preferably one which is more conventionally used in this manner?

Also, would the name need to be put into a plural form somehow (teaghlach Uí Dhonnabhán, na hÓí Dubhghall) or would the singular form suffice?

I’d say na Donnabhánaigh for ‘the O’Donovans’ (plural of an Donnabhánach – ‘the O’Donovan person’).

I definitely wouldn’t put the name of the family’s forebearer into plural, that makes no sense (they’re descendants of a single Donovan, not of Donovans).

The simplest way for "the O’Donovans" is "na Donnabhánaigh", i.e. suffix -ach put in plural -aigh, nó Ó or Mac.
the O’Doyles = na Dubhghallaigh, the McCarthys = na Cárthaigh.



A surname with Ó and Mac has two parts, the second part is already in genitive case and will not change anymore.
Only the first part (Ó, Mac) could change and be put in genitive and/or plural.
The genitive plural of Mac would be Mac, the genitive plural of Ó would be Ó.
But in case of surnames, such a genitive plural is not used – except in a few old place names (where the surnames are rather clan names), e.g. Mainistir Ó dTorna (Abbeydorney), the monastery of "Uí Torna", the "O’Torneys" (the genitive plural of Ó caused eclipsis).

Muíntir Laoghaire is fine - even if it refers to more than just the couple, the O'Learys in English doesn't just refer to one couple either.
Also you say "how to refer to a couple by their joint surname". What joint surname? If Pól Ó Laoghaire marries Nuala Ní Cheallacháin, they don't share a surname. She is still a Callaghan.
So the question relates entirely to English culture.

Thanks very much for the input, all!

If the formulation suggested by silmeth and Labhrás (na Donnabhánaigh/Dubhghallaigh/Cárthaigh) isn't considered béarlachas then that may be exactly what I'm looking for.



Your point is well received, but tell it to the Irish registry office.

Yes, well, as you know, there is the Bean Uí Laoghaire thing, which is an attempt to find a way to express the English naming system in Irish.