Kealy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

There are a multitude of ancient meanings and variations associated with the Irish surnames that are now common throughout the modern world. The original Gaelic form of the name Kealy is Ó Cadhla, which is derived from the word "cadhla," which means "graceful." 1

Early Origins of the Kealy family

The surname Kealy was first found in County Waterford (Irish: Port Láirge), anciently the Deise region, on the South coast of Ireland in the Province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They are of the ancient kingdom of Ossory (Osraighe), conjecturally descended from the Kings and gentry of Ossory, the progenitor of which was Conla, the second son of Breasal Breac, King of Leinster, and descended to Ceallach who was ancestor of Teige McGillpatrick. 2

"Kiely belongs mainly to Cos. Waterford and Limerick." 3

Early History of the Kealy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kealy research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1630, 1645, 1689 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Kealy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kealy Spelling Variations

The scribes who created documents long before either the Gaelic or English language resembled their standardized versions of today recorded words as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages the names of many people were recorded under different spellings each time they were written down. Research on the Kealy family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Keily, Keiley, Keilly, Kiley, Kily, Kiely, Kieley, Keeley, Keely, Queally, Quealy, Quelly, O'Keily, O'Keilly, O'Kiely and many more.

Early Notables of the Kealy family

More information is included under the topic Early Kealy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kealy migration to Australia +

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

Kealy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Kealy, aged 14, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Constantine"
John Kealy, aged 45, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Constantine"
Sally Kealy, aged 25, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Lismoyne"
Mary Kealy, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Victoria Regia"
Mary Kealy, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Lady Ann"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kealy (post 1700) +

Leonard Marshall Kealy (1870-1946), American politician, Mayor of Lewisville, Texas, 1940-41 4
David Kealy (b. 1965), Irish footballer
Brendan Kealy (b. 1986), Irish footballer

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html