The Irish surname O'Flooyd begins was originally the Gaelic MacTuile, O Maoltuile, or Mac Maoltuile. "tuile" means "flood," and the names Tully and Flood were at one time interchangeable in
Ireland. However, some of the Gaelic names that have become "flood" may have been mistranslations, and that contained the Gaelic "toile," meaning "toil," or "will." In
Ulster, Floyd has sometimes been used as a spelling variant of Flood; however, Floyd is normally a cognate of the
Welsh name Lloyd, derived from the word 'llwyd,' which means ‘grey.’
Early Origins of the O'Flooyd family
The surname O'Flooyd was first found in
Connacht, where they could be found since ancient times, and were hereditary physicians to the O'Connors of Galway.
Early History of the O'Flooyd family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Flooyd research.
Another 249 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1st., 1620 and 1676 are included under the topic Early O'Flooyd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
O'Flooyd Spelling Variations
Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many
spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name O'Flooyd revealed many variations, including Flood, Floyd, Floode, Floyde, Tully, MacTully,Talley, Tally and many more.
Early Notables of the O'Flooyd family (pre 1700)
Another 21 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Flooyd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the O'Flooyd family to the New World and Oceana
The 19th century saw a great wave of
Irish families leaving
Ireland for the distant shores of North America and
Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute do to the policies of
England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American
War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the
Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left
Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United Sates and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the O'Flooyd family relocated to North American shores quite early: Edmund Flood who landed in Massachusetts in 1620; David Flood settled in Virginia in 1637; followed by Abraham Flood 1650; John in 1652; Arthur Floyd settled in Virginia in 1647.
The O'Flooyd 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: Vis unita fortior
Motto Translation: Strength united is the more powerful.