Show ContentsGeraty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Geraty was originally written in a Gaelic form as Mag Oireachtaigh, which is derived from the word "oireachtach," referring to a member of an assembly. Translating the name into English produces no less than seventeen different synonyms. But the origin of the name is most intriguing. In the 12th century, the name was simply Ó Roduibh but a Oireachtach Ó Roduibh at that time caused the name to be shortened to Oireachtach, their present form.

Early Origins of the Geraty family

The surname Geraty was first found in counties Roscommon and Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they were one of the Hi Maine Septs in Kelly's country. They were direct descendants of the O'Connors, Kings of Connacht, and the Chief of the Clann was one of the four royal chiefs under the O'Connor. 1 The tree on the Coat of Arms illustrates their descendancy from the O'Connors.

Early History of the Geraty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Geraty research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1585, 1598 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Geraty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Geraty Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Geraty can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Gerrity, Gerty, Gerighty, Gerighaty, Gerety, Gerahty, Garraty, Geraty, Jerety, McGerity, MacGeraghty, MacGartie, MacGarty and many more.

Early Notables of the Geraty family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Geraty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Canada Geraty migration to Canada +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Geraty family came to North America quite early:

Geraty Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Christopher Geraty, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Sea Horse" in 1833


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)


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