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![Show Contents]() O'Trahey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as O'Trahey. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The O'Trahey family appears to have originally lived in the town of Troyes in France; the original form of the surname O'Trahey was de Troyes. The surname O'Trahey belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Early Origins of the O'Trahey familyThe surname O'Trahey was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they were granted lands by Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, after his conquest of Ireland in 1172. They were recruited from the family of Try in Gloucester where they were Lords of the manor of Alkington. The family is said to be amongst the highest orders of French nobility. Early History of the O'Trahey familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Trahey research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1660, 1690, 1698, 1702, 1705, 1717, 1739 and 1823 are included under the topic Early O'Trahey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. O'Trahey Spelling VariationsMedieval scribes and church officials spelled the names as they sounded, so a name was often spelled many different ways during the lifetime of a single person. The investigation of the origin of the name O'Trahey revealed many spelling variations including Troye, Troy, Try, Trye, Trohy, Trohey, Troys, Troyes, O'Trahy, O'Trahey, O'Trehy, O'Trehey and many more. Early Notables of the O'Trahey familyAnother 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Trahey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the O'Trahey familyThe Irish emigration during the late 18th and 19th century contributed to the melting pot of nationalities in North America, and the building of a whole new era of industry and commerce in what was seen as a rich, new land. Ireland'sGreat Potato Famine resulted in the worst economic and social conditions in the island's history. And in response to the hunger, disease, and poverty, during this decade the total number of emigrants to leave for North America rivaled all the previous years combined. Those from this decade that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Research into early immigration and passenger lists has shown many people bearing the name O'Trahey: Daniel, Edward, James, Jeremiah, John, Michael, Patrick and William Troy all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1770 and 1870; John Trye from England arrived in Virginia in 1624. In Newfoundland, James Troy from Tipperary settled in St. John's in 1813.
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Ireland
England
