 Although this name is not the most popular by way of rank for this province, it is most certainly not rare for this part of Ireland.The name is uniquely Irish in that it predates Norman settlement, and although scholars cannot pinpoint exactly when the name first appeared in Ireland, it is thought most probably to be an adoption of a much smaller and earlier Viking settlement, personal name, most probably between 8th and 10th century AD.First-name adoption was a common and fashionable practice in early Ireland, as there were no hereditary surnames until around the 11th century, therefore the first name often became the last name once this system was introduced.