O'Conolly 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 O'Conolly is Ó Conghalaigh, Ó Conghaile, or Ó Coingheallaigh. 1

Early Origins of the O'Conolly family

The surname O'Conolly 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 O'Conolly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Conolly 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 O'Conolly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Conolly Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages a name was spelt by scribes solely based on how it sounded, one's name could have been recorded many different ways during the life of its bearer. Numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name O'Conolly family name. Variations found include Connolly, Conolly, Connally, O'Connolly, Connolley, Conally, Connelly, Conoley, Connaleigh, Connelay, Conley, Conlay, Conlaye and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Conolly family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was 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...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Conolly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the O'Conolly family

Many Irish families boarded ships bound for North America in the middle of 19th century to escape the conditions of poverty and racial discrimination at that time. Although these immigrants often arrived in a destitute state, they went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. An inquiry into many immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants to North America bearing the O'Conolly family name: Michael and Thomas Connally who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834 and 1856 respectively; M. Connolley settled in New York in 1820; John Connolly settled in Virginia in 1773.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)