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O'Meara History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

O'Meara Surname History

Origins Available:
Ireland

The name O'Meara has undergone many variations in the time that has passed since its genesis. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Meadhra, which is derived from the word meadhar, which means merry. 1

Early Origins of the O'Meara family

The surname O'Meara was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

"The O'Mearas had an extensive territory in the Barony of Upper Ormond, County Tipperary, in which O'Meara was a Chief. The name of their principal residence, Tuam-ui-Meara, is still retained in the town of Toomyvara. The Mearas or O'Mearas are still numerous in that locality." 2

Early History of the O'Meara family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Meara research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1619, 1681 and 1818 are included under the topic Early O'Meara History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Meara Spelling Variations

Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname O'Meara that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Meara, O'Mara, Mar, O'Meara and others.

Early Notables of the O'Meara family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Dermod O'Meara, an Irish physician and poet, author of the first medical work printed in Dublin in 1619
Edmund O'Meara (or Meara) (1614-1681), Irish physiologist, one of the last prominent champions of the medical ideas of Galen

O'Meara Ranking

In the United States, the name O'Meara is the 7,586^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

O'Meara 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 O'Meara, or one of its variants:

O'Meara Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James, Patrick, Tim, and William O'Meara, who settled in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860

O'Meara Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Daniel O'Meara, aged 18, who landed in America from Kanturk, Ireland, in 1906
Bridget O'Meara, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from Kenmore, Ireland, in 1907
Bridget O'Meara, aged 22, who landed in America from County Waterford, Ireland, in 1909
Anne O'Meara, aged 23, who landed in America from Cork, Ireland, in 1910
Annie O'Meara, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States from Clouhgordan, Ireland, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

O'Meara migration to Australia +

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

O'Meara Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr.Thomas O'meara, Irish soldier who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bencoolen" on 24th April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mary O'Meara, aged 41, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Nugget" 5

O'Meara 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:

O'Meara Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. O'Meara, British settler with 3 children travelling from London aboard the ship "Swordfish" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th July 1859 6
Michael O'Meara, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
Catherine O'Meara, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
Judith O'Meara, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name O'Meara (post 1700) +

Onorato Timothy O'Meara (1928-2018), American mathematician known for his work in number theory, linear groups and quadratic forms
Martin J. O'Meara, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from East Hartford, 1932 7
M. J. O'Meara, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1888 7
Martin O'Meara, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Granby, 1940 7
John R. O'Meara, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1956, 1960; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 3rd District, 1958 7
John Baptiste O'Meara (1852-1926), American Democratic Party politician, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, 1893-97 7
James W. O'Meara, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate 25th District, 1956 7
George F. O'Meara, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1964, 1980 7
Frances J. O'Meara, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri Republican State Committee, 1932-42; Chair of Audrain County Republican Party, 1942-49; Member of Republican National Committee from Missouri, 1944 7
Edward S. O'Meara, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maine 1st District, 1988 7
... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bencoolen
South Australian Register. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Nugget 1858. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/nugget1858.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html