O'Hear History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The old Gaelic name used by the O'Hear family in Ireland was Ó hAodha, which means descendant of Aodha or descendant of Hugh.

Early Origins of the O'Hear family

The surname O'Hear 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 this distinguished Irish family descended from the ancient Kings of Munster, and their territories were in the south western part of County Cork. Their ancient family seat was Aghamilly Castle in Pobble O'Hea.

Early History of the O'Hear family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Hear research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1205 and 1700 are included under the topic Early O'Hear History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Hear Spelling Variations

The general population of Ireland, like those of Europe and Britain during the Middle Ages, scribes recorded people's names as they saw fit. As a result, surnames often had many spelling variations. For O'Hear some of these variations included: O'Hea, Hea, Heas, Hees, O'Hear, Hayes, O'Hay, Hay and others.

Early Notables of the O'Hear family

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

O'Hear migration to the United States +

The 18th and 19th centuries saw many Irish families immigrate to North America in search of land and opportunities. The largest influx of Irish immigrants to the United States and British North America came during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine laid waste to their homeland. Hundreds of thousands left the island in an attempt to escape the starvation and disease it brought. Although the arrival of such a large number of destitute Irish was not welcomed by the established population in the United States and what would become known as Canada at the time, these Irish were an essential element to the rapid development of these growing industrial nations. They filled the demand for the cheap labor needed for the work in factories and in the construction of bridges, roads, canals, and railways. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many immigrants bearing the name of O'Hear or one of its variants:

O'Hear Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Felix O'Hear, who arrived in New York in 1804
Patrick O'Hear, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1856