By KARLEE TWINER
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If you haven’t heard about John Grenham or his website yet, today is the day. John Grenham is one of the leading Irish genealogists, and he has contributed one of the best tools for Irish research.
He went through the entirety of Griffith’s Valuation and mapped where surnames occurred. It is now a searchable tool online, which can be accessed at johngrenham.com. The first few searches are free, but then you will be asked to subscribe. If you have lots of Irish ancestry, a subscription shouldn’t turn you away. You can even do it for a day or a month and see all the names that you need. Regardless, you should check it out. Here are a few tools to keep an eye out for on his website.
Surname Search
Just try searching for your family’s name in the search bar on the main page, and it will bring up the dots where the name occurred in Griffith’s Valuation. I’ve provided an example below of one of my family names.
Name Variants
John Grenham also provides a list of variants of the name that you searched, which can be very helpful when you’re looking for records. Name spellings were rarely standardized, so it’s important to search the variants of a name when using search terms or even flipping through an original book. (See this month’s Ask the Heritage Help Desk for an example.)
Surname by County
In addition to the whole map of Ireland, underneath that map is a list of counties in which the name occurred and the number of households with that surname. You can click on a specific county name underneath the map, and it will pull up a map of that county with a more specific view of where they occurred.
Surname Dictionary
Underneath the county list on your first search page is a small dictionary section. You can find possible meanings behind the surname, where it occurs the most, and the rarity of the variation.
Second Surname Search
This is a VERY useful tool, so take note. Right beside the surname dictionary is another search box where you can enter a second surname. When you search using this box, it will bring up the parishes where the two surnames occur together. This can narrow your search down a lot. If your ancestors crossed the Atlantic but you’re having trouble figuring out where your ancestors were before then, and you know they were married before they came over, try out this tool to narrow down where to search for marriage records.
Browse
This is a great place to find different resources for Irish genealogy. There’s too much to talk about it all in detail. However, you can find things like passenger lists, maps of different jurisdictions, research guides, guides to types of records, links to where to find records, addresses for repositories, and more. This is accessible free.
Wizard
The wizard is provided to help you organize and plan your research. You input your ancestors’ information, and it returns to you some suggestions for further research, including links. Important note: Your information is not retained.
Other Resources
Some other resources on Irish Ancestors include John Grenham’s blog, which is full of valuable information. You can even search the blog to find any articles that may be useful to your research. Another is Place Names. This can help you understand the different jurisdictions in Ireland, which can be a little confusing. Finally, Ancestors. You input your information, and it returns a report for you. Check these all out.
All in all, Irish Ancestors is a great website that can help you deepen your genealogy research. This is not something you should pass by, and it’s worth the time to play around with it.
During one of our prep meetings for those joining our Dublin Research Tour, we will explore this more, and we may even meet John Grenham in Dublin, depending on his schedule.
Karlee Twiner is a professional genealogist with a degree in family history, with a special focus on Irish research. She worked at Irish Family History Centre in Dublin and currently works at FamilySearch. She leads research trips to Ireland, guiding others through archives to uncover their ancestral roots. The next trip is April 2026 trip, so get your reservation in soon. Find out more here.
She also teaches the Irish by Ancestry Roots & Branches genealogy classes. If you are interested in discovering more about your Irish ancestors, you can sign up here. December seats are still available.
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