Show ContentsGarrity History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Garrity was originally written in a Gaelic form as Mag Oireachtaigh, which is derived from the word "oireachtach," referring to a member of an assembly. Translating the name into English produces no less than seventeen different synonyms. But the origin of the name is most intriguing. In the 12th century, the name was simply Ó Roduibh but a Oireachtach Ó Roduibh at that time caused the name to be shortened to Oireachtach, their present form.

Early Origins of the Garrity family

The surname Garrity was first found in counties Roscommon and Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they were one of the Hi Maine Septs in Kelly's country. They were direct descendants of the O'Connors, Kings of Connacht, and the Chief of the Clann was one of the four royal chiefs under the O'Connor. 1 The tree on the Coat of Arms illustrates their descendancy from the O'Connors.

Early History of the Garrity family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garrity research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1585, 1598 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Garrity History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garrity Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Garrity dating from that time include Gerrity, Gerty, Gerighty, Gerighaty, Gerety, Gerahty, Garraty, Geraty, Jerety, McGerity, MacGeraghty, MacGartie, MacGarty and many more.

Early Notables of the Garrity family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Garrity Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garrity Ranking

In the United States, the name Garrity is the 5,163rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2


Garrity migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Garrity family in North America:

Garrity Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Garrity, aged 57, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 3
  • Anne Garrity, who settled in New York State in 1846
  • James Garrity, who settled in New York in 1846
  • Mary Garrity, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1849
  • Thomas Garrity, aged 23, who landed in New York in 1849 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Garrity Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Daniel Garrity, aged 37, who settled in America from Tullarmore, in 1905
  • Annie Garrity, aged 22, who landed in America from Kilmeena, Ireland, in 1907
  • Bridget Garrity, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Cliffergool, Ireland, in 1907
  • Betsy Garrity, aged 32, who landed in America, in 1908
  • Catherine Garrity, aged 22, who landed in America from Westport, Ireland, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrity migration to Australia +

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

Garrity Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Garrity (post 1700) +

  • Francis Joseph Garrity (1908-1962), American Major League Baseball catcher
  • John Paul "Jack" Garrity (b. 1926), American retired ice hockey player
  • Wendell Arthur Garrity Jr. (1920-1999), United States federal judge
  • Joan Theresa Garrity (b. 1940), American author
  • Chris Garrity (b. 1981), American professional lacrosse goaltender
  • Patrick Joseph Garrity (b. 1976), retired American NBA basketball player
  • Gregg David Garrity (b. 1960), former professional American football wide receiver
  • Kenneth Garrity (b. 1935), retired English professional footballer
  • Freddie Garrity (1936-2006), British singer and actor


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent


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