Show ContentsQuealy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are a multitude of ancient meanings and variations associated with the Irish surnames that are now common throughout the modern world. The original Gaelic form of the name Quealy is Ó Cadhla, which is derived from the word "cadhla," which means "graceful." [1]

Early Origins of the Quealy family

The surname Quealy was first found in County Waterford (Irish: Port Láirge), anciently the Deise region, on the South coast of Ireland in the Province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They are of the ancient kingdom of Ossory (Osraighe), conjecturally descended from the Kings and gentry of Ossory, the progenitor of which was Conla, the second son of Breasal Breac, King of Leinster, and descended to Ceallach who was ancestor of Teige McGillpatrick. [2]

"Kiely belongs mainly to Cos. Waterford and Limerick." [3]

Early History of the Quealy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quealy research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1630, 1645, 1689 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Quealy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quealy Spelling Variations

Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Quealy that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Keily, Keiley, Keilly, Kiley, Kily, Kiely, Kieley, Keeley, Keely, Queally, Quealy, Quelly, O'Keily, O'Keilly, O'Kiely and many more.

Early Notables of the Quealy family

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


New Zealand Quealy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Quealy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Quealy, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
  • Matthew Quealy, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Inverness" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Quealy (post 1700) +

  • Susan Jane Quealy (1870-1956), American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Wyoming, 1932, 1936, 1940; Member of Democratic National Committee from Wyoming, 1945-48 [4]
  • Patrick J. Quealy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wyoming, 1912; Member of Democratic National Committee from Wyoming, 1920 [4]


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  3. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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