Show ContentsGormley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Gormley is "O Gormghaile" in Connacht, or "O Goirmleadhaigh" in Ulster.

Early Origins of the Gormley family

The surname Gormley was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where the Gormley family held a seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Gormley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gormley research. Another 208 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gormley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gormley Spelling Variations

A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Gormley include Gormley, O'Gormley, Grehan, Gormleigh, Gormly, Gormlie, Grimes and many more.

Early Notables of the Gormley family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • O'Gormley of County Donegal

Gormley Ranking

In the United States, the name Gormley is the 8,388th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Gormley migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Gormley to North America:

Gormley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Gormley, who landed in America in 1795 2
Gormley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Gormley, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 2
  • Bernard Gormley, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
  • Martin Gormley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 2
  • Francis Gormley, who arrived in New York in 1822 2
  • Michael Gormley, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1840
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gormley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gormley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Gormley, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
  • James Gormley, aged 29, a weaver, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
  • Mrs. Francis Gormley, aged 45 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Superior" departing from the port of Londonderry, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 3
  • Miss. Martha Gormley, aged 5 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Sir Henry Pottinger" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
  • Thady, John, Bridget, Catherine and Mary Gormley who, who settled in Quebec in 1848

Gormley migration to Australia +

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

Gormley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mary Gormley, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Stamboul"
  • Terence Gormley, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Confiance" 4
  • Elizabeth Gormley, aged 30, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "James Jardine"

Contemporary Notables of the name Gormley (post 1700) +

  • Mark Donan Gormley (1957-2024), American singer-songwriter from Pensacola, Florida
  • Thomas Francis "Tom" Gormley (1891-1951), American professional football player
  • Joseph Leo Gormley (1914-2004), American chief of chemistry and toxicology for the FBI
  • Ken Gormley, American Dean of the school of law and a Professor of constitutional law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Owen Gormley, American Government official
  • Richard C. Gormley, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Arizona, 1966-67 5
  • Martin E. Gormley, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 5th District, 1930, 1932 5
  • John E. Gormley, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State Senate 2nd District, 1940 5
  • Elizabeth Gormley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1924, 1928 5
  • Edward J. Gormley, American politician, Mayor of McMinnville, Oregon, 1985-87 5
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  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. 30)
  4. South Australian Register Tuesday 30th November 1858. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Confiance 1858. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/confiance1858.shtml
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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