All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name O'Bigley originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Beaglaoich where beag means little, and laoch means hero. 1 First Anglicized as O'Begley, it now appears mostly as Begley, and occasionally Bagley.
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Early Origins of the O'Bigley family
The surname O'Bigley was first found in the counties of Cork and Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held considerable territories as an important Irish sept directly descended from the line of the Heber Irish Kings. (O'Hart)
Early History of the O'Bigley family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Bigley research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1732 and 1890 are included under the topic Early O'Bigley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
O'Bigley Spelling Variations
Individual scribes in the Ireland during the Middle Ages would often record a person's name various ways. How the name was recorded depended on what that particular scribe believed the proper spelling for the name pronounced to him was. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the O'Bigley family name include Begley, Beegley, Beeghley, Begly, Begeley, Begely, Beagley and many more.
Early Notables of the O'Bigley family
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Bigley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the O'Bigley family
The English-ruled Ireland of the late 18th and 19th centuries featured a rapidly increasing population and an agricultural-based economy. This combination proved to be disastrous in the 1840s after a couple of failed potato harvests. Thousands died of disease and starvation, and thousands more left the country, often bound for North America. Those that survived the journey to North America were put to work building the bridges, canals, roadways, and railways needed for the development of an industrial society. Those Irish, although often despised by those already established in North American cities and towns, played an instrumental role in making Canada and the United States the powerful and wealthy nations that they are today. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has shown many immigrants bearing the name O'Bigley: Charles Begley who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1855; Christopher Begley arrived there in 1854; Edward Begley in 1869; Henry Begley in 1856.
