| ![Show Contents]() O'Toohey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of O'TooheyWhat does the name O'Toohey mean? The original Gaelic versions of today's Irish names demonstrate a proud, ancient past. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Toohey is Ó Tuathaigh, which is derived from tuathach, which means ruler. Early Origins of the O'Toohey familyThe surname O'Toohey was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat as a clann, and their chief was known as O'Tuathaigh (meaning ruler). They were amongst the many tribes of western Ireland, septs of the Hy Niall who were descended from King Niall of the Nine Hostages. King Niall was perhaps the most famous of all Irish Kings being responsible for harassing the Roman departure from England at the foot of the Alps. Early History of the O'Toohey familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Toohey research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1593 and 1958 are included under the topic Early O'Toohey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. O'Toohey Spelling VariationsPronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname O'Toohey are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Tuohy, Tuohey, Touhy, Touhey, Tooey, Tooy, Towey, Towy, Twoey, Twoy, Twohig, Toohey, Toohy,O'Tuohy, O'Tuohey, O'Touhy, O'Touhey, O'Tooey, O'Tooy, O'Towey, O'Towy, O'Twoey, O'Twoy, O'Twohig, O'Toohey and many more. Early Notables of the O'Toohey familyMore information is included under the topic Early O'Toohey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the O'Toohey familyTo escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name O'Toohey or a variant listed above, including: Edward and John Towey who landed in Pennsylvania in 1868 and 1878 respectively; Patrick Tohey settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1847. The family also branched to Cumberland, New South Wales, Australia, where a Gentleman, John Thomas Toohey resided..
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