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Often in a locality there would be so many persons of a given surname that a secondary name was added to distinguish one family from another. Sometimes the family kept the agnomen permanently.
Civil registration to a great degree compelled people to standardize their name and so they may either have chosen to retain the original surname or to adopt the agnomen. Even so, inconsistencies slipped through civil registration records, at least as late as 1880. Civil registration did not prevent people from registering their children with one name and baptizing them with another.
If you dig deeper into the subject you will discover that many secondary names are adjectives such as RUA for red haired persons or BAWN for white haired persons. These names in some instances have evolved into ROE and BOHN respectively. Their use as an agnomen for any given surname seems as likely to apply to one as another when one considers all of Cork but its use is likely to be unique when applied locally for otherwise it would introduce just more confusion and defeat its purpose.
All of this has the potential to enormously complicate our genealogy research. And it isn't just family history researchers that get stumped by all of this. When Old Age pension acts were passed in the early 20th century, Irish seniors had to obtain proof of birth in order to collect a pension. Since civil registration of births did not come into being until 1864, they had to rely on baptism records. Many of them had a difficult time finding and acquiring their baptism record because of agnomina and secondary name usage.
In many records, the entry might appear via the surname, via the agnomen or the two in concert. The extracted agnomina records on this website are for names said to be agnomina for Driscoll. It is not known if all of these records are in fact genuine examples of Driscoll agnomina. They are presented here in part for their stand alone value but also in (probably vain) hopes that patriline descendants of the individuals presented wander into the yDNA project and show us whether or not they are Driscolls.
The list of names shown here is not claimed to be exhaustive. Nor are the examples.
References
John O'Donovan, mid 19th century scholar, and the Celtic Society published a translation of The Genealogy of the Corca Laidhe in Miscellany of the Celtic Society. This was the first English language translation of centuries-old earlier works. The Miscellany is freely available in the Internet archive.
Peadar O'Donovan, author of Irish Family Names, references The Genealogy of the Corca Laidhe (printed in The Miscellany of the Celtic Society) which documents several O'Driscoll septs. Some of these septs may have spun off different surnames: Clann FINN of the Garry (an especially fertile land area) in Myross; Clann Lughaidh, which may have become known as LOOIG or LOOHIG; Clann Bouldera; Clann Chiarmhic, which may now be KERWICK; Clann Dubhlaing, which took the forms DOOLAN, DOOLIN, and DOOLING. The O'Driscolls of Beara were descended from Aodh Garbh O hEiderscoil, who was killed by another Driscoll branch O Ceadagain, now recognized as CADOGAN.
On page 226 of Volume 10 of the Journal of the Cork Genealogical and Historical Society (number 64, 1904), J. M. Burke states that Clann Bouldera was situated in Revouler in the parish of Kilmacabea.
The same author, writing under the pen name "Finnerty" for the Southern Star, in his August 13, 1932 newspaper column The Driscoll Sept, states "O'Dunlaing - O'DOOLIN, was generally looked on as the distinguishing sobriquet of a branch of the Driscolls."
O'Driscolls Past and Present by Eamon Lankford describes the first Driscolls and some of their cousins. Lughaidh Mac Con had three sons: from Óengus Bolg was descended the Uí Builg and the Uí Etersceoíl or O'Driscolls; from Duach was descended the Ua Cobhthaigh, which took the forms COHIG, COWHIG, COWEY, COFFEE, and COFFEY; and from Fiachra came Ua Floinn Arda or FLYNN? of Ardagh near Skibbereen.
There is a place called Knockanacohig ("hillock of O'Cohig") on Clear Island - evidence, perhaps, that the Cowhigs were situated close by.
According to Cork Genealogist Nora M. Keohane Hickey the following are such secondary names for the surname O'DRISCOLL or more properly agnomina:
BOHANE, CADOGAN, COFFEY, HOOLEY, KERUKAN, WHOOLEY
She also points out that BOHANE may also refer to an O'SULLIVAN.
Peadar O'Hanrahan wrote about Driscoll agnomina in his column "Our Dublin Letter" for the Southern Star on December 6, 1947:
"The O h-Eidrisceoil clan had a big list of distinctive names of their own no doubt, just as the O Donnabhain people had, but I cannot claim a very wide knowledge of them. I know there was an O'Driscoll Ban in the Rath parish and the O'Driscoll Caedh which I assume is a worn down form of MacAodn, in Myross and Kilmacabea parishes, and the O'Driscoll Fuithil (which in my early days was like the others, considered a kind of nickname not to be used when anyone who bore the name was listening) in the parish of Killeenleigh.
"Here let me digress to state that students of the Celti Miscellany will observe that the O Fuithil was the name of one of the chief families in West Cork at one time, just as O Mothaile was, though that was abandoned later on and O'Brien substituted for it. My intellectual Killeenleigh and Caheragh-taught friend Batty O'Brien is, as he knows himself, and prides in the fact too, a descendant of that kingly line of O Mothaile. But perhaps the most ancient name of that sub-division was "Ludhaig," and some of the clan of the Rath parish bore that name until quite recently. Is there not some connection between "Ludhaig" and the ancient Corca Lugha as found in the Geinealach Corca Laidhe, and if so, the O'Driscoll people who can claim to belong to that branch of the sept have something very important to talk about and cherish.
"According to a note written by Micheal O Cuileanain which I found among my papers recently there was a branch of the O'Driscolls called "An Chlann Chron," some of whom live in Inis Arcain still. Perhaps it was from that name the word CRONACHAN developed..."
Source Record Examples
Bohane / Behy
Bohane has been spotted in Meelmane, Lislee in the Griffith's Valuation. We are looking for more examples.
We are also trying to verify Behy might be a form of Bohane. There are numerous examples in the church records around Timoleague and Lislee.
Cadogan, Keadagan
Aodh Garbh O Driscoll was killed by the Cadogans, purportedly another branch of Driscolls.
There are some records of Cadogan Driscoll families using the names interchangably.
Example 3: Jerry Driscoll Keodogane of Breaghna in the Desertserges TAB.
Chronicane
The 1947 Southern Star column mentions the Chronicanes. There are numerous examples of Chronicanes (also Cronican*) throughout the Cork R.C. church records. One must take care to distinguish them from Cronin and Crimeen. The names can look similar in illegible records.
The Driscoll yDNA project has more genetic data on the Chronicane Driscolls than any other sept. See: R-CTS4466 Driscoll Genes.
Doolin, Dooling, Dowling
The O Duulaing are recorded in the Country of Gillamichael in the Genealogy of the Corca Laidhe. (Miscellany, page 50.)
These are records from a Doolin Driscoll family in Curraghnaloughra, Drinagh. Jeremiah (Darby) married Bridget Grace 18 Feb 1819. Their daughter Mary Driscoll was baptized 8 Apr 1822 and their son John Doolin was baptized 26 Mar 1826.
Here is Doolin in the TAB of Drinagh:
Finn
Finn could be a secondary name for Driscoll, or it could be a primary surname in its own right. Finn Driscolls have been observed in Drinagh and in Fanlobbus.
Marriage and baptisms of two children of a Finn Driscoll family residing in Drinagh
 Finn Driscoll in Drinagh TAB |
 Finn Driscoll in Fanlobbus TAB |
Fuhill
The name is mentioned in the 1947 article. The name puts in an appearance in the Rath & Island (Cape & Sherkin) as well as Schull East R.C. church records. It shows up in the Myross Tithe Applotment Book and the Clear Island land valuation books prior to Griffith's Valuation as well as the valuation itself. It has not persisted into West Cork civil registration or into the 20th century censuses. When the opportunity is available, an examination of any available Clear Island revision books after Griffith's Valuation might serve as an aid in identifying Fuhil families who later became Driscoll in civil registration and thereafter.
In the Tithe Books, a name closely resembling Fuhill is Fuhilly. This resembles Fehilly, which happens to be another Corca Laidhe surname. Fehilly is anglicized as Field, and is assumed to be distinct from Driscoll.
In JCHAS Volume 10 (1904), on page 204 under Carbery Topographical Notes we are reminded that the Genealogy of the Corca Laidhe references descendants of Fathadh (Fathaidh) Og O'Driscoll as Fahy. There is a ring fort in Lettertinlish called Lisfahy, believed to have been named after this clan. Maybe it is a bit of a stretch. Could Fuhill be a variation of Fahy?
Hyde
According to Padraig MacGiolla-Domhnaigh in Some Anglicized Surnames in Ireland (see: Library Ireland), Hyde was a secondary name for O'Driscolls around Clonakilty.
The project is looking for evidentiary documentation. So far, the greatest presence of the surname seems to be in Cork South Parish (St. Finbar's). So far no documentary evidence of Hyde in the Clonakilty parishes has been discovered.
Hyde was also a secondary name for Sheehan around Carrigtwohill, so be careful not to confuse the two.
McKennedy
This name is probably the MacAodn mentioned in the 1947 article. McKennedy has been observed from Drinagh through Kilmacabea, Ross, Myross, Rathbarry.
The record below is from the Drinagh Tithe Applotment Book of 1833:
Minihane, Minahane
Riobard O'Dwyer's series of books Who Were my Ancestors? links the name MINIHANE with the O'Driscoll on the Beara Peninsula.
It has been proposed that the O Muimhnich (O Muimhnig, Moyny) of Tuath Ui Chonneid of the Corca Laidhe were Minihane.
The records below are from Rosscarbery & Lissevard.
The first record is the marriage of Jeremiah Driscoll alias Minihane to Mary Regan. The marriage is indexed in civil registration with the name Minihane though the registrar did also note the name Driscoll on the document.
The second record is a baptism of their child Pat, who was indexed in civil registration as Driscoll. The baptism record says:
10th Feb Feb 1875
Pat Jerh Minihane alias Driscoll Mary Regan Michael Regan Johanna Regan
The name is attached to the father of the child. It is unlikely that the alias applies to a maiden surname of the mother or that the mother was a widow and the alias applies to a prior married name.
Here is another example of Driscoll Minihane out of the parish of Rathbarry in Griffith's Valuation.
Packa?, Parka, Parkey
Records from around Clear Island and Skull suggest that there were a group of Driscolls using these agnomina.
From the Skull TAB, townland of Knockeens:
Whooley
Edward MacLysaght stated in his 1964 Supplement to Irish Families: "In the Clonakilty (Co. Cork) district some O'Driscoll families acquired the agnomen WHOOLEY which has now become a hereditary surname."
MacLysaght may have been referring to Padraig MacGiolla-Domhnaigh in Some Anglicized Surnames in Ireland who says the same thing. See: Library Ireland.
The project is looking for evidentiary documentation.