Selly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Selly

What does the name Selly mean?

Many Irish names are English translations of Gaelic names. The name Selly was a translation of the Gaelic name Ó Scolaidhe, which means student.

Early Origins of the Selly family

The surname Selly was first found in county Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Selly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selly research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Selly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selly Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a person's name was often recorded under several spelling variations during a single lifetime because it was essentially up to the individual scribe's discretion as to how to record an individual's name. Research into the name Selly revealed many variations, including Scully, Scally, O'Scully and others.

Early Notables of the Selly family

More information is included under the topic Early Selly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selly migration to the United States +

North America received thousands of Irish immigrants from the English-ruled Ireland during the 19th century. Once in the United States or what would become Canada, these immigrants quickly contributed to the ongoing settling and industrialization processes. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. An exhaustive examination of immigrant and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the surname of Selly:

Selly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Selly, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1840 1

Sources +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)