Show ContentsManly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Manly is an Anglicization of the Irish Ó Maonghaile. The English name Manley was often used as a further anglicized form. 1

Early Origins of the Manly family

The surname Manly was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where it appear in 16th century Tudor Fiants.

Early History of the Manly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Manly research. More information is included under the topic Early Manly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Manly Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Monnelly, Monelly, Munnelly, Mannelly, Munelly, O Monnelly, Monley, Manley and many more.

Early Notables of the Manly family

Notable among the family name at this time was

  • the Manly family of County Mayo

Manly Ranking

In the United States, the name Manly is the 13,997th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Manly migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Manly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Elizabeth Manly, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 with her husband
  • William Manly, who landed in Virginia in 1697 3
Manly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Sarah Manly, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 3
  • James Manly, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 3
Manly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Manly, who landed in New York, NY in 1810 3
  • Jos D Manly, who arrived in Kentucky in 1811 3
  • Richard Manly, aged 48, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 3
  • James, John, Michael, Robert, and Thomas Manly all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
  • Thomas Manly, who arrived in Illinois in 1861 3

Canada Manly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Manly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Bridget, Ellen, James, John, Richard Manly all, who arrived in Quebec in 1848

Contemporary Notables of the name Manly (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Manly, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Herkimer County, 1799-1800, 1809-10, 1820-21 4
  • Robert Emmet Manly (b. 1869), American Democratic Party politician, Honorary Vice-President, 1916; Member of Democratic National Committee from the Philippine Islands, 1912-40 4
  • Charles H. Manly (1843-1930), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Washtenaw County 1st District, 1887-88; Defeated, 1914; Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1890-91 4
  • Basil Charles Manly (1839-1882), American politician, Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, 1875-82 4
  • Basil Manly, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Federal Power Commission, 1933-45 4
  • Brigadier-General Charles Manly Busbee (1893-1970), American Professor of Military Science & Tactics, Iowa State College (1946-1949) 5
  • Charles Manly Stedman (1841-1930), American Democratic Party politician; Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, 1885-89; Candidate for Governor of North Carolina, 1888; U.S. Representative from North Carolina 5th District, 1911-30
  • Sir Manly Power (1773-1826), British lieutenant-general, son of Thomas Bolton Power, Esq., of the Hill Court, near Ross, Herefordshire
  • Manly Wade Wellman (1903-1986), American writer
  • Manly W. Hoffman, American politician, Mayor of Jackson, Michigan, 1928-29 6


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Charles Busbee. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Busbee/Charles_Manly/USA.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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