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Irish surname

Buckley: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Buachalla · 'descendant of Buachaill' (the boy, used as a personal name)

Woulfe (1923) gives Buckley as an anglicised form of Ó Buachalla, 'descendant of Buachaill' (the boy, used as a personal name), a surname he says was peculiar to Cork, Tipperary and Offaly in the 16th century. In Matheson's 1890 survey Buckley was the 99th commonest surname in Ireland, with about 8,200 people, most of the births being in Munster.

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Coat of arms associated with the Buckley surname
Irish formÓ Buachalla
Meaning'descendant of Buachaill' (the boy, used as a personal name)
CountiesCork, Kerry, Tipperary, Kilkenny
Other spellings5

Origin of the Buckley name

Ó Buachalla, 'descendant of Buachaill'. Woulfe gives no sept territory or pedigree, only that in the 16th century the name was 'peculiar to Cork, Tipperary and Offaly', and is now also common in Kerry, Kilkenny and Dublin. He also prints (Buckley), in brackets, under Ó Bachlaigh, 'a rare Mayo surname'.[1][2]

  1. 16th centuryName 'peculiar to Cork, Tipperary and Offaly' (Woulfe).[1]
  2. 1890184 births registered in Ireland, 144 of them in Munster, chiefly Cork.[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkNamed by Woulfe for the 16th century; first county for 1890 births, with 100 Buckley entries.[1][4][5]
Co. Kerry'Now also common' (Woulfe); second county named for 1890 births.[1][4]
Co. TipperaryNamed by Woulfe for the 16th century and by Matheson for 1890 births.[1][4]
Co. Kilkenny'Now also common' (Woulfe); named by Matheson for 1890 births.[1][4]
Co. Dublin'Now also common' (Woulfe); named by Matheson for 1890 births.[1][4]
Co. OffalyOne of the three counties to which Woulfe says the name was peculiar in the 16th century.[1]

Other spellings

O Buoghelly · O Bowghilly · O Bohelly · Boughla · Buhilly[1]

The Buckley coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Buckley surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Buckley crest gifts

Clan Buckley Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap AK51 Buckley Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Buckley Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Buckley Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapSW73 Classic Cap - Buckley Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Buckley Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Buckley surname: questions

What does the surname Buckley mean?

Woulfe gives Buckley as an anglicised form of Ó Buachalla, 'descendant of Buachaill' (the boy, used as a personal name).[1]

Where in Ireland is Buckley from?

Munster above all. Woulfe says that in the 16th century the name was peculiar to Cork, Tipperary and Offaly, and is now also common in Kerry, Kilkenny and Dublin. In 1890, 144 of 184 births were in Munster; the counties named are Cork, Kerry, Dublin, Kilkenny and Tipperary.[1][4]

How common is Buckley in Ireland?

In Matheson's survey of the 1890 Births Index, Buckley was 99th of the hundred principal surnames, with an estimated 8,200 people.[3]

Do all Irish Buckleys come from one family?

The sources do not say so. Woulfe also prints '(Buckley)', in brackets, among the forms of a different name, Ó Bachlaigh, 'descendant of the husbandman', which he calls a rare Mayo surname.[2]

Sources

  1. Ó Buachalla — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-buachalla.php
  2. Ó Bachlaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-bachlaigh.php
  3. Principal Surnames in Ireland (table of 100 principal surnames, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/principal-surnames-ireland.php
  4. Buckley — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/buckley.php
  5. Registration Province of Munster (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/munster-names.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).