Show ContentsReilly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Ireland
Reilly Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Reilly

What does the name Reilly mean?

The Reilly surname originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Raghailligh, which means descendant of Raghallach.

Early Origins of the Reilly family

The surname Reilly was first found in County Cavan. They were known as the Princes of East Breffny, descended from Raghallaigh, Prince of Breffny in 981. They maintained their territory during the Anglo/Norman invasion of Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, in 1172, but Sir John O'Reilly, Prince of Breffny surrendered the principality to Queen Elizabeth I thereby ensuring that his territories remained intact.

Early History of the Reilly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reilly research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1630, 1640, 1646, 1667, 1669, 1689, 1691, 1695 and 1703 are included under the topic Early Reilly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reilly 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 Reilly revealed spelling variations, including O'Reilly, O'Reilley, O'Reily, O'Rielly, O'Riely, O'Riley, O'Rilley, Reel and many more.

Early Notables of the Reilly family

  • Count John O'Reilly; Edmund O'Reilly (1598-1669), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh; Hugh Reily (Reilly or O’Reilly) (c.1630-1695) Irish Member of Parliament for Cavan Borough in the Patriot Parliam...

Reilly World Ranking

the United Kingdom, the name Reilly is the 446th most popular surname with an estimated 14,545 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Reilly is ranked the 542nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,126 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Reilly is the 752nd popular surname with an estimated 966 people with that name. 3 The United States ranks Reilly as 901st with 32,331 people. 4

Reilly migration to Australia +

Reilly Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Bryan Reilly, (Berny), (b. 1772), aged 21, Irish constable who was convicted in County Leitrim, Ireland for life for being an Irish rebel, transported aboard the "Boddingtons" on 15th February 1793, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he was part of the Castle Hill Revolt 5
  • Mr. John Reilly, (Riely), Irish convict who was convicted in Armagh, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Boddingtons" on 15th February 1793, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Reilly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James O'Brien Reilly, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Miss Mary Reilly, (b. 1758), aged 51, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Miss Anne Reilly, (b. 1792), aged 26, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. Edward Reilly, (John Riley), (b. 1787), aged 31, English tailor who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for forgery, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1848 9
  • Mr. Owen Reilly, (b. 1782), aged 38, Irish labourer who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Reilly 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:

Reilly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Reilly, aged 38, a bricklayer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • Elizabeth Reilly, aged 34, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • William Reilly, aged 18, a bricklayer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • George Reilly, aged 15, a bricklayer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • Edward Reilly, aged 13, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Reilly migration to Canada +

Reilly Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. John Reilly U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 11
Reilly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Reilly, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
  • Margaret Reilly, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
  • John Reilly, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
  • John Reilly, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
  • Patrick Reilly, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Breeze" from Dublin, Ireland
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Reilly migration to the United States +



Reilly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Christopher Reilly, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 12
Reilly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Richard Reilly, who landed in New York in 1801 12
  • Francis Reilly, aged 35, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1805 12
  • Catherine Reilly, aged 8, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1805 12
  • Brien Reilly, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 12
  • Edward Reilly, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1812 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Reilly (post 1700) +

  • Liam Reilly (1955-2021), Irish singer/songwriter and a member of the group Bagatelle
  • William Edward Moyses Reilly (1827-1886), Irish major-general, born at Scarvagh, co. Down
  • Thomas Reilly (1824-1854), Irish revolutionary writer, the son of Thomas Reilly, a solicitor
  • Brendan Reilly (1979-2017), Irish Gaelic footballer
  • Patrick "Paddy" Reilly (b. 1939), Irish folk singer and guitarist and one of Ireland's most famous balladeers 13
  • Terrence Reilly (1947-2025), Australian archer, competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Kieran Darren David Reilly (b. 2001), British cyclist who competes in Freestyle BMX, he became World Champion in 2023, he competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics
  • James R. "Jim" Reilly (1945-2022), American politician, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1976
  • Barry "Bunny" Reilly (1948-2021), Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s
  • ... (Another 104 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. John Reilly (d. 1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14
  • Mr. James Bryan Reilly (1920-1941), Australian Acting Engine Room Artificer 4th Class from Yallourn, Victoria, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 15
  • Mr. Reilly, Australian passenger who was aboard the ship "RMS Quetta" when she struck rocks and sunk on route to England on18th February 1890, presumed lost at sea
  • Patrick Reilly, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking
  • Peter Reilly, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking
  • ... (Another 2 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Suggested Readings for the name Reilly +

  • Reilly of Ballintlea by Joseph F. Reilly.
  1. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/boddingtons
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
  11. 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
  12. 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)
  13. Patrick Reilly. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Patrick Reilly. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Reilly
  14. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  15. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp

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