Show ContentsOdor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Gaelic is at the heart of all the Irish surnames that can be found throughout the world today. The original Gaelic form of the name Odor is Ó Deoradhain, which was later shortened to Ó Deorain. Both names are probably derived from the word deoradh, referring to an exile. [1]

Early Origins of the Odor family

The surname Odor was first found in Leix (Irish: Laois) formerly known as Queen's County, located in central Ireland, in Leinster Province, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Odor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Odor research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1523, 1540, 1807, 1814, 1835, 1878, 1885 and 1909 are included under the topic Early Odor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Odor 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 Doran, Dorran, O'Doran, O'Deorain, Dorain, Doron and others.

Early Notables of the Odor family

Notable among the family name at this time was Maurice Doran, Bishop of Leighlin who was murdered by his archdeacon in 1523; Charles Guilfoyle Doran (1835-1909), Irish...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Odor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Odor family

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of Odor were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists: Bernard, Bridget, Daniel, Francis, Hugh, James, John, Martin, Mary, Michael, Patrick, Robert, Thomas, and William Doran, arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1865..



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


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