O'Cleary History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The name O'Cleary originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Cleirigh, from the word "cleireach," which means "clerk" or "cleric." 1 The name denotes a descendant of Cleireach, who was born around 820 AD, and descended from Guaire the Hospitable, the famous king of Connacht.

Early Origins of the O'Cleary family

The surname O'Cleary was first found in County Galway. A descendent of Guaire, Cleireach, the namesake of the O'Clerys, was born around 820 AD, about two hundred years before hereditary surnames came into general use. 2 However, the name O'Clery first appeared around 950 AD, making it one of the earliest recorded hereditary surnames. The O'Clerys were the dominant sept in what is now the diocese of Kilmacduagh in the county of Galway, but declined in power until they were forced out of their original territory by the mid-13th century. The most important branch of the family settled in Counties Derry and Donegal and became prominent historians and poets. The branch that settled in County Cavan has seemingly all but vanished. However, the English surname Clarke has been widely substituted for O'Clery there, following the Plantation of Ulster, and many Irish Clarkes may actually be O'Clerys, rather than descendants of English settlers. Another branch is still fairly common in the counties of Kilkenny, Waterford, and Tipperary. The name is presently found mostly in Munster and Dublin.

Early History of the O'Cleary family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Cleary research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1450, 1507, 1636, 1781 and 1860 are included under the topic Early O'Cleary History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Cleary Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, surname were rarely recorded except by clerks, priests and registrars. As a name was spelt by scribes solely based on how it sounded, one's name could have been recorded many different ways during the life of its bearer. Numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name O'Cleary family name. Variations found include Clery, Cleary, Claree, Clarey, Cleare, Clearey, Clerey, O'Cleary, O'Clery, Macchlery, Clerkin, Clark and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Cleary family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Cleary Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Cleary migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name O'Cleary:

O'Cleary Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francis O'Cleary, who, who settled in Newcastle, Delaware in 1789

O'Cleary Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

May O'Cleary, aged 18, who settled in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1915
Marion O'Cleary, aged 47, who landed in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1921
Kathleen O'Cleary, aged 22, who landed in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1921
Laurence O'Cleary, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States, in 1922

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)