Heeley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

While many Irish names are quite familiar to us, their original Gaelic forms are often forgotten and mysterious. The original Gaelic form of the name Heeley is Ó hEalaighthe, which is derived from the word "ealadhach," which means "ingenious." Another Gaelic form of the surname is Ó hEilidhe, which is derived from the word "eilidhe," which means "claimant." 1

Early Origins of the Heeley family

The surname Heeley was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Heeley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heeley research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1309, 1579, 1656, 1690, 1695, 1701, 1724, 1741, 1794 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Heeley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heeley Spelling Variations

In the days before Gaelic or English gained any significant semblance of standardization, the scribes who created documents simply recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research into the Heeley family history revealed numerous spelling variations of the name, including Haly, Haley, Haily, Hely, Healy, Healey, O'Healey, O'Haly and many more.

Early Notables of the Heeley family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Edmond (Edmund) Halley, FRS (1656-1741), an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist who is best known for computing the orbit of the eponymous Halley's Comet. He was born in Haggerston, in east London, but his family came from Derbyshire.Patrick O'Healy, was a Franciscan Bishop of Mayo...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heeley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heeley migration to Australia +

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

Heeley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Crossley Heeley, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "James Jardine"

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)