Show ContentsCarland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Carland claims descent from the O'Connors in Donegal where "Carlan" (from the Irish "carla" meaning a "wool-comb" and "an" meaning "one who" which roughly translates as "one who combs wool") was in Irish O'Carlain or O'Caireallain.

Early Origins of the Carland family

The surname Carland was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where the name is descended from the O'Connor stem, Kings of Connaught and the family became early associated with the county of Tyrone, and in neighboring counties.

Early History of the Carland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carland research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1535, 1568, 1670, 1738 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Carland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carland Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name Carland revealed spelling variations, including Carlin, Carling, O'Carolan, Carline, Karlin, Kerling, Kerline, Carlind, Carlynde, Carlyne, Carlyn, Carrlin, Carrling, Kerlynd, Kerlynde, Karlynd, Karline, Kearlin, Kearline, Kearlynd, Carolan, Carrolan, Carolyn, Carolyne, Caroline, Carolynde, Caraline, Carroline, Carlan, Carland, Carlon, Carlone, Karolin, Karolan, Karrolin and many more.

Early Notables of the Carland family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Hugh O'Carolan, Bishop of Clogher from 1535-1568. Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) was a blind early Irish harper, composer and singer, known for his gift for melodic composition. Born in Nobber, County Meath, his father took a job with the MacDermott Roe family of Alderford House, thereby giving Turlough an education. By the time he was eighteen, he was blinded by smallpox and by the age of twenty-one, he was given a horse and...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Carland migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Carland:

Carland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M Carland, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 1
  • William Carland, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 1
  • Hugh Carland, aged 26, who arrived in Missouri in 1841 1

Carland migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carland Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • William Carland, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834
  • George Carland, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834
  • Thomas Carland, aged 21, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Robert Burns" in 1834

Carland migration to Australia +

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

Carland Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Carland, (b. 1794), aged 36, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died on board in 1830 2
  • Mr. William Carland, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3

Carland 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:

Carland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Carland, (b. 1844), aged 24, British ploughman travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Carland (post 1700) +

  • John Emmett Carland (1853-1922), United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
  • Tammy Rae Carland, American zine editor, artist, filmmaker
  • Michael Carland, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1944; Circuit Judge in Michigan 35th Circuit, 1954-67; Treasurer of Michigan Democratic Party, 1949 5
  • Robert Carland (b. 1952), Australian rules football player
  • Jarrod Carland, Australian actor and singer, best known for musical theatre roles in The Phantom of the Opera and Cats 6


The Carland 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: Felis demulcta mitis
Motto Translation: A stroked cat is gentle.


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Jarrod Carland. (Retrieved 2011, June 29) Jarrod Carland. Retrieved from http://www.jarrodcarland.com/


Houseofnames.com on Facebook