Am I Scots-Irish or Irish?

Many Americans today wrongly believe themselves to be Irish Americans when they are in fact Scots-Irish Americans. An easy way to help determine whether someone is of Scots-Irish (Ulster-Scots) ancestry, rather than Irish is by the following:

1. Religion

Those of Scots-Irish background are more likely to be of the Protestant faith (usually Presbyterian or Baptist).

Those of Irish ancestry are most likely to be Roman Catholic.

2. Surnames

Scots-Irish names include those with the Scottish prefix of 'Mac' (e.g. MacDonald, MacDowell, McCloud) and names such as Campbell, Graham and Ferguson.

Irish names include those with the Irish prefix 'O' (e.g. O'Neill, O'Donnell, O'Rourke) and names such as Quinn, Fitzpatrick and Murphy.

3. Emigration period

The Scots-Irish left north of Ireland (Ulster) in the 1700's and were the early frontiersmen who carved America out of the wilderness. The Scots-Irish are particularly numerous across the American Mid-West and the Southern States.

The Irish arrived on mass in America in the second half of the 19th century following the potato famine. They tended to congregate in Irish Catholic communities in cities such as New York, Chicago and Boston.