The Clan/Sept History

Maher is the Anglicisation of the Gaelic Ó Meachair, from the word 'meachar' which means 'hospitable'. The surname originated near Roscrea, Co. Tipperary in the southern province of Munster. It is the eighty seventh most numerous surname in Ireland, with a heavy concentration in the Tipperary area and surrounding counties. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Thomas Francis Meagher, who was one of the founders of the revolutionary 'Young Ireland' movement during the nineteenth century.