Contents [hide]

Leahy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Leahy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

While many of Irish names are quite familiar to most, their original Gaelic forms are often forgotten and mysterious. The original Gaelic form of the name Leahy is Ó Laochdha, which is derived from the word laochdha, which means heroic. 1

Early Origins of the Leahy family

The surname Leahy was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, and were descended from the tribe of Uaithne.

Early History of the Leahy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leahy research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1270, 1420 and 1641 are included under the topic Early Leahy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leahy Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages, a name was often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer. Literacy was rare at that time and none of the languages to be found in the British Isles had achieved any great semblance of standardization. Variations of the name Leahy found include Leahy, Leahey, Leghe, Lahey, Lahy, O'Leahy and others.

Early Notables of the Leahy family

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

Leahy Ranking

In the United States, the name Leahy is the 3,528^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Leahy is ranked the 717^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,436 people with that name. 3

Leahy migration to the United States +

Irish families began to migrate to North America in the late 18th century in the hopes of gaining their own plot of land. The majority of these early immigrant families were relatively well off because the transatlantic passage was costly. As a result the decision to immigrate was carefully made. Those immigrants that arrived in the late 1840s differed because their decision to leave was in direct response to the Great Potato Famine. Many of the families that crossed the Atlantic during this decade were destitute, either having spent all they had on the fare or even starting with nothing, but being sponsored by a philanthropic society. Whenever, these Irish families came to North America, they were made great contributions to the developing nations of the United States and what would come to be known as Canada: the earlier settlers as land clearing homesteaders, and the later immigrants as the muscle that would build the industries and routes of transportation so critical to a powerful nation. Research into the passenger and immigration lists has shown many early and significant Irish immigrants bearing the name Leahy:

Leahy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Catherine Leahy, who settled in New Jersey in 1772

Leahy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Abigail Leahy, aged 27, who landed in Massachusetts in 1813 4
Henry Leahy, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 4
James I Leahy, who arrived in Mississippi in 1840 4
James Leahy, aged 33, who landed in Missouri in 1842 4
krimiah Leahy, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1846 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leahy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leahy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Leahy Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5

Leahy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Leahy, aged 25, who arrived in Canada in 1823
Mary Leahy, aged 22, who landed in Canada in 1823
Patrick Leahy, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Pallas" from Cork, Ireland
Thomas Leahy, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
John Leahy, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Maria" from Cork, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leahy migration to Australia +

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

Leahy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Darby Leahy, (b. 1774), aged 27, Irish convict who was convicted in Kilkenny, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1802 6
Miss Julia Leahy, (b. 1784), aged 25, Irish laundress who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1840 7
John Leahy, a mason, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Thomas Leahy, a cooper, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Connor Leahy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Birman" in 1840 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leahy 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:

Leahy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Leahy, British settler as part of the 8th Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 9
Mrs. Alice Leahy née Gorman, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 9
Mr. Robert Leahy, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Spray" arriving in New Zealand in 1852 9
Michael Leahy, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Portland" in 1864
John Leahy, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Portland" in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Leahy (post 1700) +

Patrick Joseph Leahy (b. 1940), American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont
William J. Leahy, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Jackson County 9th District, 1927-28 10
William Daniel Leahy (1875-1959), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to France, 1940-42; Fleet Admiral of the U.S. Navy, 1944 10
Thomas E. Leahy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Plainfield, 1920 10
Thomas A. Leahy, American Republican politician, Hotelier; Member of New York State Assembly from Essex County, 1936-38 10
Patrick Joseph Leahy (b. 1940), American Democratic Party politician, Chittenden County State's Attorney, 1966-75; U.S. Senator from Vermont, 1975-; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Vermont, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 10
Michael Patrick Leahy, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 2008 10
John P. Leahy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Massachusetts State Attorney General, 1904, 1905 10
John J. Leahy, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1964 10
John H. Leahy, American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 8th District; Elected 1940 10
... (Another 32 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Leahy family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Frank Leahy (1881-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 11
Mr. James Leahy (1884-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 11

HMS Repulse

Mr. John James Leahy, British Stoker 2ne Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 12

SS Atlantic

Pat Leahy, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

The Leahy 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: Tout vient de dieu
Motto Translation: All comes from God.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BIRMAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Birman.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html