Kelly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Ireland 
  England 


The Irish name Kelly has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Kelly is Ó Ceallaigh or Mac Ceallaigh. These names denote descendants of Ceallach. This personal name may be derived from the word "ceallach," which means "strife." 1

Early Origins of the Kelly family

The surname Kelly was first found in southwest Ireland, south of Dublin where they held a family seat from very ancient times. The Kelly surname is conjecturally descended from King Colla da Crioch, who died in 357 A.D.

While most of the family claim Ireland as their heritage, we did find one reference in England: "Kelly, [Devon] is noteworthy as affording one of the few continuing local instances of families seated on the estates whence they take name. The Kellys of Kelly have held this manor from the time of Henry II. at least. " 2

Henry II, King of England reigned from 1154 to 1189; so one may presume there is a relationship between the Irish and the English families, but this is the extent of our research at this time.

Early History of the Kelly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kelly research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1238, 1253, 1518, 1555, 1597, 1621, 1690, 1695, 1699 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Kelly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kelly Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Kelly dating from that time include Kelly, Kellie, O'Kelly, O'Killia and others.

Early Notables of the Kelly family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Kelly World Ranking

In the United States, the name Kelly is the 74th most popular surname with an estimated 253,674 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Kelly is ranked the 60th most popular surname with an estimated 35,114 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Kelly is the 649th popular surname. 5 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Kelly as 29th with 697 people. 6 Australia ranks Kelly as 15th with 55,407 people. 7 New Zealand ranks Kelly as 63rd with 4,991 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Kelly as 50th with 81,180 people. 9


Kelly migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Kelly or a variant listed above, including:

Kelly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Kelly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Kelly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Kelly Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Kelly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kelly Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Kelly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Kelly migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kelly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Kelly 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:

Kelly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Kelly (post 1700) +


The Kelly 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: Turris Fortis Mihi Deus
Motto Translation: God is a strong tower to me.
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