Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Oryant originally appeared in Gaelic as O Maoilriain.
The surname Oryant was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster.
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. [1]
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. [2] 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oryant research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1694, 1760, 1709, 1694 and 1732 are included under the topic Early Oryant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Oryant were encountered in the archives: O'Ryan, Ryan, Mulrian, Mulryan, O'Mulrian and many more.
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 Oryant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Oryant: 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.