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Leary History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Leary History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

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 Leary is Ó Laoghaire, which was originally derived from Laoghaire, one of the most well-known personal names in ancient Ireland. 1

Early Origins of the Leary family

The surname Leary was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times. The sept claim descent through the Heber line of Irish kings and in turn, through the O'Connell pedigree. 2

The family was ancient landholders as the Civil Survey of 1654 lists over thirty-four of the hundred and three were O'Leary. 3

Early History of the Leary family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leary research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1729, 1756, 1795, 1802, 1818, 1831, 1842, 1845, 1863 and 1889 are included under the topic Early Leary History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leary Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached. Research into the name Leary revealed spelling variations, including Leary, O'Leary, O'Leery and others.

Early Notables of the Leary family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Arthur O'Leary (1729-1802), Irish priest and politician, was born in 1729 at Acres, a townland in the parish of Fanlobbus, near Dumnanway, Co. Cork, his parents being of the peasant class. Having acqu...
Ellen O'Leary (1831-1889), Irish poetess, and an active participator in the Fenian movement in Ireland, was born in 1831 in the town of Tipperary. Her father was a shopkeeper. Miss O'Leary contributed...
Joseph O'Leary (d. 1845?), the Irish songwriter and journalist, was born in Cork about 1795. In youth he joined a company of strolling players, but his theatrical experience was short, as the manager...

Leary Ranking

In the United States, the name Leary is the 1,924^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 4

Leary migration to the United States +

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 Leary or one of its variants:

Leary Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Leary, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1651 5
Timothy Leary, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 5
Katherine Leary, who landed in Maryland in 1679 5

Leary Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Leary, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 5
William H Leary, who landed in New York in 1811 5
Alexander Leary, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
William Barry Leary, aged 16, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
James Leary, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leary migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leary Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edmund Leary, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1808
John Leary, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1814
Joanna Leary, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
James Leary, aged 27, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
John Leary, aged 34, a seaman, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Pallas" from Cork, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leary migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Leary Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Leary, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Timothy Leary, British convict who was convicted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for life, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Daniel Leary, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Thomas Leary, (b. 1803), aged 17, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Timothy Leary, English labourer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leary 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:

Leary Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Leary, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Claramont" in 1863
Mr. John Leary, (b. 1848), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 11
Miss Catherine Leary, (b. 1849), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 11
Mr. William Leary, (b. 1851), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 11
Miss Ellen Leary, (b. 1854), aged 16, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Leary (post 1700) +

Lewis Sheridan Leary (1835-1859), American harnessmaker who was killed in John Brown's unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry
Ronald Leary (b. 1989), American NFL football guard for the Dallas Cowboys
Francis Patrick "Frank" Leary (1881-1907), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in 1907
Herbert Fairfax Leary (1885-1957), American Vice Admiral and commander of United States Navy forces during the Pacific Campaign of World War II
Chris Leary, American national television and radio show personality
Cornelius Lawrence Ludlow Leary (1813-1893), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland (1861-1863)
Robert James Leary III (b. 1963), American professional baseball coach
James P. Leary (b. 1950), American folklorist and scholar of Scandinavian Studies, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
John J. "Jack" Leary (1857-1905), American Major League Baseball player who played from 1880 to 1884
James H. Leary, American two-time Grammy Award winning double bass player and arranger/composer
... (Another 46 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Leary family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Charles Leary (d. 1914), British Cook from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12

Grover Shoe factory

Miss Nellie Leary, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; she died 13

Mount Mulligan Mine

Robert Ernest Leary, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921

RMS Lusitania

Mr. James Joseph Leary, American 1st Class Passenger from Brooklyn, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 14

SS Newfoundland

Mr. Benjamin Leary (b. 1876), Newfoundlander from Carbonear, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived
Mr. William Leary, Newfoundlander from St. John's, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived

The Leary Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Laidir isé lear Righ
Motto Translation: Strong is the King of the sea.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/