Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Horyand originally appeared in Gaelic as O Maoilriain.
Early Origins of the Horyand family
The surname Horyand was first found in County
Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central
Ireland, in the province of
Munster. According to O'Hart, the family claim descent from the
Heremon Kings of Ireland through the MacMorough pedigree, specifically Cormac, brother of Eoghan who was ancestor of O'Righin; anglicized Mulrain, O'Ryan, Ryan and Ryne.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4) However, MacLysaght claims the family claim descent from O Maoilriain located in Owney, formerly called Owney O'Mulryan which forms two modern baronies on the borders of
Limerick and
Tipperary.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7) As both authorities were Chief Heralds of
Ireland in their own time, we must leave the reader to ponder which of the two is more likely.
Early History of the Horyand family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horyand research.
Another 261 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1694, 1760 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Horyand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Horyand Spelling Variations
The Middle Ages saw a great number of
spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Horyand were encountered in the archives: O'Ryan, Ryan, Mulrian, Mulryan, O'Mulrian and many more.
Early Notables of the Horyand family (pre 1700)
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Horyand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Horyand family to the New World and Oceana
In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the
Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and
Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Horyand family came to North America quite early: Alexander, Alfred, Catherine, Cornelius, Daniel, Denis, Edward, Jeremiah, John, Margaret, Mathew, Michael, Patrick, Peter, Richard, Thomas, Timothy and William Ryan all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.
The Horyand 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: Malo mori quam fodari
Motto Translation: I would rather die than be disgraced.