O'Reilly Surname HistoryThe O'Reilly surname originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Raghailligh, which means descendant of Raghallach. Early Origins of the O'Reilly familyThe surname O'Reilly was first found in County Cavan. They were known as the Princes of East Breffny, descended from Raghallaigh, Prince of Breffny in 981. They maintained their territory during the Anglo/Norman invasion of Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, in 1172, but Sir John O'Reilly, Prince of Breffny surrendered the principality to Queen Elizabeth I thereby ensuring that his territories remained intact. Early History of the O'Reilly familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Reilly research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1630, 1640, 1646, 1667, 1669, 1689, 1691, 1695 and 1703 are included under the topic Early O'Reilly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. O'Reilly Spelling VariationsIrish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name O'Reilly dating from that time include O'Reilly, O'Reilley, O'Reily, O'Rielly, O'Riely, O'Riley, O'Rilley, Reel and many more. Early Notables of the O'Reilly familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was
O'Reilly World RankingIn the United States, the name O'Reilly is the 3,584th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name O'Reilly is ranked the 664th most popular surname with an estimated 5,882 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name O'Reilly is the 867th popular surname with an estimated 845 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks O'Reilly as 905th with 7,573 people. 4
To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name O'Reilly or a variant listed above, including: O'Reilly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
O'Reilly Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: O'Reilly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: O'Reilly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
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'Reilly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
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