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Flaherty History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Flaherty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

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

Early Origins of the Flaherty family

The surname Flaherty 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 Flaherty family

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

Flaherty Spelling Variations

The spelling of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was rarely consistent. This inconsistency was due to the scribes and church officials' attempts to record orally defined names in writing. The common practice of recording names as they sounded resulted in spelling variations such as Flaherty, O'Flaherty, Flaverty, Laverty, Faherty and many more.

Early Notables of the Flaherty family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Roderic O'Flaherty (1629-1718) who was an Irish historian. O'Flaherty was the last "de jure" or "Lord of Iar Connacht," and the last recognized chief of the O'Flaherty Clan. He inherited Maigh Cuilinn...

Flaherty Ranking

In the United States, the name Flaherty is the 2,115^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 4

Flaherty migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Flaherty:

Flaherty Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Flaherty, who landed in Virginia in 1651 5

Flaherty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Timothy Flaherty, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 5

Flaherty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Flaherty, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 5
Margaret Flaherty, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 5
John Flaherty, who settled in Baltimore in 1818
William Flaherty, who landed in America in 1836 5
Ann Flaherty, who settled in New York in 1850
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Flaherty migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Flaherty Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Flaherty, aged 20, a yeoman, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland
Edward Flaherty, aged 20, a yeoman, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland
Michael Flaherty, aged 25, a carpenter, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "William" from Cork, Ireland
Catherine Flaherty, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "William" from Cork, Ireland
Edward Flaherty, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Trafalgar" from Galway, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Flaherty migration to Australia +

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

Flaherty Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ellen Flaherty, Irish servant who was convicted in Meath, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
John Flaherty, a cabinet-maker, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. John Flaherty, (b. 1802), aged 26, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland for 7 years for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Thomas Flaherty, (b. 1817), aged 21, Irish labourer who was convicted in County Offlay (Kings County), Ireland for 7 years for assault, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 29th December 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
James Flaherty, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1850 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Flaherty migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Flaherty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary A Flaherty, (b. 1848), aged 16, British dressmaker travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th March 1864 10
John Flaherty, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873 11
Johanna Flaherty, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in Westland aboard the ship "Jubilee" in 1873
Mr. Benjamin J Flaherty, (b. 1856), aged 18, Irish labourer from County Cork travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 12
John Flaherty, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Flaherty (post 1700) +

Joe Flaherty (1941-2024), American-born, Canadian two-time Primetime Emmy Award winning comedic actor and writer, known for his work on SCTV (1976), Maniac Mansion (1990), SCTV Network (1981) and Happy Gilmore (1996)
Lanny Flaherty (1942-2024), American actor known for roles in Natural Born Killers and Signs
Joyce Flaherty (b. 1969), birth name of Joyce DiDonato, an American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano, notable for her interpretations of operas and concert works in the 19th-century and works by Handel and Mozart
Paul Flaherty (b. 1945), American three-time Primetime Emmy Award winning writer and producer, known for The Martin Short Show (1999), SCTV Network (1981) and Primetime Glick (2001), brother of Joe Flaherty
Pat Flaherty (1897-1970), American flying officer for the Signal Corps in World War I and actor, known for his roles in My Man Godfrey (1936), Sergeant York (1941) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Ryan Edward Flaherty (b. 1986), American Major League Baseball second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles
James Louis Flaherty (1910-1975), American prelate, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Richmond from 1966 to 1975
Francis Charles Flaherty (1919-1941), American officer in the United States Naval Reserve, awarded the Medal of Honor for helping his crewmates escape the sinking USS Oklahoma (BB-37) during the Pearl Harbor attack
Robert Joseph Flaherty (1884-1951), American Academy Award nominated film director, writer, and cinematographer, known for his work on Nanook of the North (1922), Man of Aran (1934) and Louisiana Story (1948)
Charles Flaherty (b. 1938), American state legislator and educator
... (Another 39 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Flaherty family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Thomas Flaherty, American 3rd Class passenger from Brooklyn, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 13

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Borodino
Convict Records Australia. Retrieved on 18th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRITISH EMPIRE 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850BritishEmpire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/