Show ContentsFlatery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Flatery has undergone many variations in the time that has passed since its genesis. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Flaithfhileadh, or Ó Flaithre which means prince poet. 1

Early Origins of the Flatery family

The surname Flatery was first found in County Leinster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Flatery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flatery research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1000 is included under the topic Early Flatery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flatery 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 Flatery that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Flattery, Flatley and others.

Early Notables of the Flatery family

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

Migration of the Flatery family

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 Flatery or one of its variants: James Flattery who arrived in Philadelphia in 1860; Domenico Flatley and his wife Bridget and three children arrived in New York in 1878.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)


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