Bredy Surname History

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

The Irish name Bredy originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Bradaigh, possibly derived from bradach, which means spirited, which is in turn derived from brad, which means urging.

Early Origins of the Bredy family

The surname Bredy was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, and County Clare where they held a family seat from ancient times.

They were descended from Olioll Olum, King of Munster who reigned about 130 A.D. and descended through a line of Chiefs and Kings to John O'Grady, alias O'Brady, who died in 1332 in the Clann territories of Fassaghmore in the county of Clare. His son, Sir Denis O'Grady alias O'Brady of Fassaghmore was knighted by King Henry VI of England.

This great confusion of names continued into the 14th and 15th century and to make matters even more confusing the line frequently reverted from one spelling to the other. The Clann seat became established at Kilballyowen in County Limerick, and the present Chief of the Gradys (or Bradys) is one of the few Chiefs recognized in Ireland. He is Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Vogors de Courcy O'Grady. They were settled in Glenstal Abbey. Many of the name were also found in Cavan.

Early History of the Bredy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bredy research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1454, 1710, 1752 and 1827 are included under the topic Early Bredy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bredy Spelling Variations

Within archives, many different spelling variations exist for the surname Bredy. Ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in the name of the single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Grady, Brady, O'Grady, O'Brady, Braidy, Graidy, Bradie, Braidie, Braydy, Braydie, Gradie, Graidie, Graydy, Graydie, Bradigan, O'Bradigan and many more.

Early Notables of the Bredy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Sir Denis O'Brady; Andrew MacBrady, was the first bishop of Kilmore in 1454; Fiachra MacBrady (c.1710), Gaelic poet; James Bernard MacBrady, Count of the Holy Roman Empire...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bredy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bredy migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name Bredy, or one of its variants:

Bredy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Bredy, who landed in Maryland in 1809 1

Bredy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Johann Bredy, aged 18, who arrived in New York, NY in 1903 1
Phillip Bredy, aged 33, who landed in New York, NY in 1903 1
Phillipine Bredy, aged 55, who arrived in New York, NY in 1903 1
Adam Bredy, who landed in New York, NY in 1903 1
Augustine Bredy, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1903 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)