Hayes is a common surname in England, where it derives from various places of the same name and from the Norman De la Haye, but in Ireland it is almost always the most common anglicisation of the Irish O hAodha, from the personal name Aodh, "fire", which was very popular in early Ireland. No doubt this popularity accounts for the fact that the surname originated separately in at least twelve different locations, including south-west Cork, Limerick/Tipperary, south Donegal, Sligo, Monaghan, Meath, Mayo, north Tyrone, south Down, Armagh, and Wexford. As well as Hayes, the surname was also anglicised as "O'Hea", particularly in south-west Cork, and as "Hughes", since Aodh was invariably translated as "Hugh". This last anglicisation is most common among the five septs originating in the Ulster counties.