O'Mulriane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name O'Mulriane originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Maoilriain, formerly Mulryan, but now abbreviated to Ó Riain. 1

Early Origins of the O'Mulriane family

The surname O'Mulriane was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster. 1

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. 2

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. 3 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 O'Mulriane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Mulriane research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1694, 1709, 1732 and 1760 are included under the topic Early O'Mulriane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Mulriane Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name O'Mulriane revealed spelling variations, including O'Ryan, Ryan, Mulrian, Mulryan, O'Mulrian and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Mulriane family

Notable among the family name at this time was Father Abraham Ryan, Poet; and Lacy Ryan (c. 1694-1760), English actor who appeared at the Haymarket Theatre about 1709. He was the son of a tailor, of descent presumedly Irish, was born in the...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Mulriane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the O'Mulriane family

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 O'Mulriane 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 O'Mulriane 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.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)