Show ContentsTally History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Tally surname comes from the Gaelic Ó Taithligh, meaning "descendant of Taithleach," a Gaelic personal name meaning "peaceable."

Early Origins of the Tally family

The surname Tally was first found in Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat as eranaghs of Devenish. Irish history was greatly influenced by the Norman invasion of 1172, and thereafter, the surnames of Irish Gaelic clanns and septs and many of the Norman families became almost indistinguishable. This family name was found as Chiefs of Hy-Laoghaire, of Lough Lir, a district in the barony of Lurg Erne near Tyrone.

Early History of the Tally family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tally research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tally History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tally Spelling Variations

Before widespread literacy came to Ireland, a name was often recorded under several different variations during the life of its bearer. Accordingly, numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Tally family name. Variations found include Tally, Talley, Tallie, Tallee and others.

Early Notables of the Tally family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • the Tally family of Fermanagh

Tally Ranking

In the United States, the name Tally is the 11,142nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Tally migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish families left for North American shores in the 19th century. These people were searching for a life unencumbered with poverty, hunger, and racial discrimination. Many arrived to eventually find such conditions, but many others simply did not arrive: victims of the diseased, overcrowded ships in which they traveled to the New World. Those who lived to see North American shores were instrumental in the development of the growing nations of Canada and the United States. A thorough examination of passenger and immigration lists has disclosed evidence of many early immigrants of the name Tally:

Tally Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Eliza Tally, who landed in Virginia in 1636 [2]
  • John Tally, who landed in Virginia in 1657 [2]
  • Tho Tally, who landed in Virginia in 1662 [2]
  • Peter Tally, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 [2]
Tally Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Tally, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 [2]
  • Anne Tally, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 [2]
  • Elizabeth Tally, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 [2]
  • Henry Tally, who landed in Virginia in 1702 [2]
Tally Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Michael Tally, who settled in New York in 1821
  • Michael Tally, who landed in New York in 1825 [2]
  • Mary Tally, who arrived in New York, NY in 1827
  • Edward Tally, who settled in Indiana sometime between 1852 and 1853
  • Ellen Tally, who arrived in Rochester, NY in 1862
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Tally migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tally Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Tally, who settled in Canada in 1847
  • Mr. Denis Tally, aged 9 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wellington" departing 29th July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th September 1847 but he died on board [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Tally (post 1700) +

  • Martin Tally (1803-1876), American Republican politician, Mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, 1867-69 [4]
  • Lucile Cottrell Tally (1892-1971), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 1948, 1956 (alternate) [4]
  • Lewis B. Tally, American politician, Representative from Arkansas at-large, 1844 [4]
  • John Tally, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1920 [4]
  • J. O. Tally Jr., American politician, Mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina, 1952-53 [4]
  • Michael Tally Ringwood (b. 1958), American general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2009
  • Tally Chanel (b. 1966), Israeli actress, born as Tally Chanel Meirovits
  • Tally Whitehead, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 2008 [5]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 97)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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