Show ContentsConnelly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Connelly Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Connelly

What does the name Connelly mean?

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 Connelly is Ó Conghalaigh, Ó Conghaile, or Ó Coingheallaigh. 1

Early Origins of the Connelly family

The surname Connelly was first found in Connacht and Munster, as well as County Monaghan and Leinster. There were three Gaelic septs whose name was Anglicized as Connolly: the O Conghalaigh sept (also known as O Conghaile) who lived in Connacht and the adjacent County Monaghan; the O Coingheallaigh sept, which also used the alias Mac Coingheallaigh, were subordinate to the powerful O'Donovans and dwelled in West Cork in Munster; and another sept, related to the O'Maddens, resided in Connacht and were of the Ui Maine. 2

Early History of the Connelly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Connelly research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1014, 1591, 1660, 1715, 1729, 1738, 1750, 1760, 1803 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Connelly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Connelly Spelling Variations

Within archives, many different spelling variations exist for the surname Connelly. 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 Connolly, Conolly, Connally, O'Connolly, Connolley, Conally, Connelly, Conoley, Connaleigh, Connelay, Conley, Conlay, Conlaye and many more.

Early Notables of the Connelly family

William Connolly (c.1660-1729), Speaker of the House of Commons. He was the son of a publican, or, as some say, of a blacksmith. Having been called to the bar, he soon made way in his profession; but he distinguished himself more particularly in the Irish House of Commons, of which he was chosen speaker 12 Nov. 1715. He continued to hold this post until his resignation through failure of health, 12 Oct. 1729, only a few days before he died. 3 Thomas...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Connelly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Connelly Ranking

the United States, the name Connelly is the 1,683rd most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 4

Connelly migration to the United States +

North America accepted thousands of Irish immigrants during the 19th century as their homeland suffered under foreign imperialistic rule. Although settlers from the early portion of the century came to North America by choice in search of land, by far the largest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Many of these Irish families left the country destitute and in some cases suffering from disease. However, those who survived the long ocean voyage were especially vital to the development of industry in the United States and what would become known as Canada. Research of immigration and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the name Connelly:

Connelly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jesse Connelly, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 6
  • George Connelly, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 6
Connelly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Timothy Connelly, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803-1827 6
  • Henry Connelly, who arrived in America in 1810 6
  • Charles Connelly, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1812 6
  • Walter Connelly, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
  • Mary Connelly, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connelly migration to Canada +

Connelly Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Dennis Connelly U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 7
  • Mr. Henry Connelly U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783, passenger number 264 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 7
  • Mr. John Connelly U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 7
Connelly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Connelly, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1829
  • David Connelly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
  • Lawrence Connelly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
  • Richard Connelly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
  • Dennis Connelly, aged 31, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connelly migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. Edward Connelly, (1759 - 1792), aged 31, Irish settler convicted in Armagh, Ireland in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for perjury, transported aboard the ship "Queen" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 5
Third Fleet
  • Mr. William Connelly, (b. 1760), aged 27, Irish settler convicted in Bristol, England on 3rd February 1785, sentenced for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the ship "Alexander" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 6
Following the Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Connelly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Arthur Connelly, British convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for life, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 8
  • Mr. John Connelly, (b. 1796), aged 24, Irish soldier who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Patrick Connelly, (Conly), (b. 1801), aged 19, Irish brick maker who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Andrew Connelly, (Connolly, Conlon), (b. 1801), aged 21, Irish reaper who was convicted in Kidare, Ireland for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • James Connelly, a carpenter, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connelly 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:

Connelly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Connelly, (b. 1832), aged 28, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 11
  • Mrs. Ellen Connelly, (b. 1837), aged 23, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 11
  • John Connelly, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 12
  • Mr. John Connelly, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Black Eagle" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th November 1861 11
  • Mary Connelly, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Connelly (post 1700) +

  • John Charles Connelly (1955-2025), American painter
  • Michael James "Mike" Connelly (1935-2021), American professional football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Marcus Cook Connelly (1890-1981), American playwright, director, producer, performer, and lyricist awarded the 1930 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
  • Michael Connelly (b. 1956), American author of detective novels, President of the Mystery Writers of America from 2003 to 2004, and has won every major award given to mystery writers
  • Jennifer Lynn Connelly (b. 1970), American Golden Globe and Academy Award winning film actress
  • C. T. Connelly, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1884 14
  • Bruce Chadwick Connelly, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for South Carolina, 2012 15
  • Brian Connelly, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1969 15
  • Bernard C. Connelly, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Trieste, 1932; Bucharest, 1938; Kabul, 1940; Karachi, 1940 15
  • ... (Another 48 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Royal Oak
  • Michael Connelly, British Stoker 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 15
  • Mr. Owen Connelly, English Trimmer from New York, New York, USA, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 16
  • W.F. Connelly, American Third Assistant Engineer from Somerville, Massachusetts, who was working aboard the SS Alcoa Puritan (1942) traveling from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Mobile, Alabama when it was torpedoed by U-boat U-507; he survived the sinking 17
  • Mr. Richard Earl Connelly, American Chief Quartermaster from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 18
  • David Fallon Connelly (1924-1945), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 19
  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  6. 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)
  7. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
  14. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  15. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  16. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Alcoa_Puritan_(1941) - (Retrieved 2018, February 8th)
  18. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
  19. Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew

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