Show ContentsGerighty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Gerighty 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 Gerighty family

The surname Gerighty 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 Gerighty family

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

Gerighty Spelling Variations

Scribes and church officials generally spelled a name as it sounded; as a result a person's name could be spelt innumerable ways in his lifetime. Different spelling variations of the Anglo-Norman surname Gerighty were found in the many archives researched. These included Gerrity, Gerty, Gerighty, Gerighaty, Gerety, Gerahty, Garraty, Geraty, Jerety, McGerity, MacGeraghty, MacGartie, MacGarty and many more.

Early Notables of the Gerighty family

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


United States Gerighty migration to the United States +

A great number of Irish families left their homeland in the late 18th and 19th centuries, migrating to such far away lands as Australia and North America. The early settlers left after much planning and deliberation. They were generally well off and but they desired a tract of land that they could farm solely for themselves. The great mass of immigrants to arrive on North American shores in the 1840s differed greatly from their predecessors because many of them were utterly destitute, selling all they had to gain a passage on a ship, or having their way paid by a philanthropic society. These Irish people were trying to escape the aftermath of the Great Potato Famine: poverty, starvation, disease, and, for many, ultimately death. Those that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Irish settlers bearing the name Gerighty:

Gerighty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Edward Gerighty, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 2


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  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)


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