Show ContentsTully History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Tully

What does the name Tully mean?

The Irish surname Tully begins was originally the Gaelic MacTuile, Ó Maoltuile, or Mac Maoltuile. "tuile" means "flood," and the names Tully and Flood were at one time interchangeable in Ireland. 1

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 Tully family

The surname Tully 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 Tully family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tully research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1572, 1574, 1589, 1592, 1593, 1603, 1620, 1637, 1641, 1648, 1649, 1660, 1675 and 1676 are included under the topic Early Tully History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tully Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Tully that are preserved in archival documents are Flood, Floyd, Floode, Floyde, Tully, MacTully,Talley, Tally and many more.

Early Notables of the Tully family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Thomas Tully (1620-1676), an English clergyman of Calvinist views. He was born in St. Mary's parish, Carlisle and was son of George Tully. "After the Restoration he was created D.D. on 9 Nov. 1660, an...

Tully Ranking

In the United States, the name Tully is the 5,176th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2


Tully migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Tully to North America:

Tully Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Joane Tully, who landed in Maryland in 1661 3
  • Thomas Tully, who arrived in Maryland in 1671 3
  • Walter Tully, who landed in Maryland in 1676 3
  • Stephen Tully, who landed in Maryland in 1678 3
  • Anne Tully, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Tully Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hillary Tully, who landed in Carolina in 1740 3
  • William Tully, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 3
Tully Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Tully, aged 50, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
  • John Tully, aged 21, who arrived in Georgia in 1812 3
  • Francis Tully, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
  • Abraham Tully, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
  • Bridget Tully, aged 30, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tully migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tully Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. John Tully U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 4
Tully Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Tully, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Sea Horse" from Galway, Ireland
  • Mr. John Tully who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing 15th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but he died on board 5

Tully migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tully Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Tully, (b. 1794), aged 26, Irish servant who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for life for sedition, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. Michael Tully, (Dunphy), (b. 1793), aged 27, Irish nursery man who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • William Tully a bootmaker, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1838 7
  • Miss Jean Bannerman Tully, (Kelly) who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 10th November 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Miss. Ann Tully, (Wolfe, Wolf), (b. 1827), aged 22, Irish laundress who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Australasia" on 26th June 1849, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1884 when she was found drowned 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tully migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Tully Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Michael Tully, aged 39, a gardener, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • Margaret Tully, aged 31, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • Patrick Tully, aged 7, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • Margaret Tully, aged 3, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • Mary Tully, aged 4 mths., who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Tully (post 1700) +

  • Tom Tully (1908-1982), American actor from Durango, Colorado
  • Rush Tully (b. 1949), American composer and operatic bass-baritone
  • Michael "Mike" Scott Tully (b. 1956), American two-time gold medalist pole vaulter
  • R Bent Tully (b. 1940), American astronomer
  • Richard Walton Tully (1877-1945), American author
  • Jim Tully (1886-1947), American writer
  • James "Jim" Tully (1915-1992), Irish trade unionist, Deputy Leader of the Irish Labour Party
  • Charles Patrick "Charlie" Tully (1924-1971), Irish footballer
  • Montgomery Tully (1904-1988), Irish film director and writer
  • Sir William Mark Tully OBE (b. 1935), the former Bureau Chief of BBC, New Delhi
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Tully 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.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 97)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LLOYDS from London 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Lloyds.htm
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia


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