O'Hegarty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The spelling and overall form of Irish names tend to vary widely over time. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Hegarty is "O hEigceartaigh," which is derived from the word "eigceartach," which means "unjust."

Early Origins of the O'Hegarty family

The surname O'Hegarty was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the O'Hegarty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Hegarty research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1715 and 1721 are included under the topic Early O'Hegarty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Hegarty Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname O'Hegarty were found in the many archives researched. These included Hegarty, Hegerty, Heggarty, O'Hegarty and others.

Early Notables of the O'Hegarty family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Peter O'Hegarty, Governor of the Isle of Bourbon
Daniel O'Hegarty, shipbuilder from Dunkirk founded the first Freemason lodge there in 1721

Migration of the O'Hegarty family

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name O'Hegarty: John, Michael, Robert, and Thomas Hegarty who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860.

The O'Hegarty 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: Nec flectitur nec mutant
Motto Translation: They neither bend nor change.