Show ContentsFlaharty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Flaharty originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Flaithbheartaigh," which means "bright ruler."

Early Origins of the Flaharty family

The surname Flaharty was first found in Connemara (Irish : Conamara), which derives from Conmhaicne Mara (meaning: descendants of Con Mhac, of the sea)), County Galway in Connacht where the name claims descent from Flaithbertaigh Ua Flaithbertaigh, King of Connacht, who died 1098. Flaithbertaigh was the first bearer of the surname O'Flaherty, and was Lord of Maigh Seola in what is now County Galway. 1

"The O'Flahertys were originally located in the Barony of Clare, County Galway, but in the thirteenth century, having been expelled from this territory, they settled in the Barony of Moycullen, and were styled Lords of lar Conacht or West Connaught. A large number of the Flahertys are now to be found in the Baronies of Moycullen, Ross, and Ballinahinch, in County Galway." 2

Another source gives this background about the family: "This family, whose tribe name was Muintir Murchadha, traced their descent from Flaibheartach, twenty-second in descent from Eochaidh Muighmeadhon, king of Ireland, who died in 366. They were at first settled in Magh Seola, to the east of Lough Corrib, but in the thirteenth century were driven from their original home by the O'Connors, and conquered a new territory in West Connaught from Lough Corrib to the sea. There were several septs of the clan." 3

Early History of the Flaharty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flaharty research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1377, 1407, 1589, 1593, 1629 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Flaharty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flaharty Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Flaharty revealed spelling variations, including Flaherty, O'Flaherty, Flaverty, Laverty, Faherty and many more.

Early Notables of the Flaharty family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Áedh Ó Flaithbheartaigh, (c. 1377?-1407), Taoiseach of Iar Connacht and Chief of the Name; Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh, (died 1593), Chief of Iar Connacht; Teige Ó Flaithbheartaigh (died 1589), an...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Flaharty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Flaharty migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Flaharty:

Flaharty Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Flaharty, who landed in Virginia in 1651 4
Flaharty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Timothy Flaharty, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1767

Canada Flaharty migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Flaharty Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Edmond Flaharty, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1824

Australia Flaharty migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Flaharty Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Edward Flaharty, British Convict who was convicted in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • John Flaharty, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on April 16, 1855, settling in Western Australia 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Flaharty (post 1700) +

  • Cheryl Flaharty, American founder of the Iona Contemporary Dance Theater, Hawaii
  • Geraldine Flaharty, American politician, Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives (1995-)
  • Geraldine Flaharty, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 2000 7


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. 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)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Western Australia, Australia in 1855 with 261 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1855
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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