Show ContentsMoriarity History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Moriarity is O Muircheartaigh, which is derived from the word "muircheartach," which means "navigator."

Early Origins of the Moriarity family

The surname Moriarity was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province.

"The name Moriarty is now largely represented in County Kerry, in which county the O'Moriartys were Chiefs in the Barony of Dunkerron." [1]

The fictional Professor James Moriarty in some of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was based on Doyle's discussions with a Scotland Yard inspector and his knowledge of Adam Worth (1844-1902), the German-born American criminal mastermind.

Early History of the Moriarity family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moriarity research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Moriarity History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moriarity Spelling Variations

Within archives, many different spelling variations exist for the surname Moriarity. 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 Moriarty, O'Moriarty, Murtagh, Murtag, McMoriarty and many more.

Early Notables of the Moriarity family

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


United States Moriarity migration to the United States +

Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Moriarity or one of its variants:

Moriarity Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alex D Moriarity, aged 23, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1886 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Moriarity (post 1700) +

  • Timothy J. II Moriarity, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1948 [3]
  • Maurice W. J. Moriarity, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Woodbridge, 1940 [3]
  • Joseph J. Moriarity, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Minnesota 3rd District, 1930 [3]
  • John Moriarity, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1948 [3]
  • Francis B. Moriarity, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Tunis, 1932 [3]
  • Jay Moriarity (1978-2001), American surfer from Santa Cruz
  • Eugene John Moriarity, 19th century American Major League Baseball outfielder


  1. 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
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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