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Irish surname

Daly: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Dálaigh · 'descendant of Dálach' (holding assemblies, frequenting assemblies)

Daly is an anglicised form of Ó Dálaigh, 'descendant of Dálach'. Woulfe (1923) says the O'Dalys were first chiefs of Corca Adhaimh in Westmeath and became famous as a bardic family all over Ireland, with branches serving as poets to several great families. In Matheson's 1890 survey Daly was the 24th commonest surname in Ireland, about 17,000 people.

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Coat of arms associated with the Daly surname
Irish formÓ Dálaigh
Meaning'descendant of Dálach' (holding assemblies, frequenting assemblies)
CountiesWestmeath, Clare, Galway, Cavan
Other spellings2

Origin of the Daly name

Descended from Maine, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages; originally chiefs of Corca Adain, or Corca Adhaimh, in Westmeath. A bardic family famous 'all over Ireland'; Cuchonnacht na scoile (d. 1139) was 'the ancestor of all the bardic families of the name'. Branches were poets to the O'Loghlens, O'Reillys, O'Neills and O'Connors; Raghnall O Dalaigh was chief ollave in poetry to MacCarthy in Desmond.[1]

  1. 1139Cuchonnacht na scoile, ancestor of the bardic O'Dalys, dies at Clonard.[1]
  2. 1244Donough Mor O'Daly, 'chief of Ireland for poetry', dies at Boyle.[5]
  3. 1617Satirist Aengus O'Daly stabbed near Roscrea, 16 December.[6]
  4. 1690'O Daly, Conaught' listed among Irish septs in Terry's Book of Arms.[4]
  5. 1890381 births registered in Ireland, chiefly Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Galway, King's.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. WestmeathOriginal territory, Corca Adain or Corca Adhaimh, of which the O'Dalys were chiefs.[1]
Co. ClareA branch settled at Finavarra in Burren about the mid-13th century as poets to the O'Loghlens.[1]
Co. GalwayThe Dalys of Galway, of the Finavarra branch, settled in Ui Maine in the late 15th century.[1][3]
Co. CavanA branch settled here as poets to the O'Reillys.[1]
Co. CorkFirst county named by Matheson for Daly births in 1890.[3]
Co. KerryNamed by Matheson among the principal Daly counties in 1890.[3]
Co. DublinNamed by Matheson among the principal Daly counties in 1890.[3]
Co. OffalyMatheson's 'King's' (County); Offaly County Council 'was known as King's County Council from 1898-1920'.[3][9]

Notable people named Daly

Donough Mor O'Dalyd. 1244Bard, head of the O'Dalys of Finavarra, Co. Clare; buried in Boyle Abbey.[5]
Aengus O'Dalystabbed 1617Poet employed by the Government to satirize his countrymen; author of the Satire on the Tribes of Ireland.[6]
Dominic de Rosario O'Daly1596–1662Kerry Dominican and diplomat in Portugal; envoy to Louis XIV; historian of the Desmond Geraldines.[7]
Denis Dalyd. 1791MP for Galway town and county; friend of Henry Grattan.[8]

Other spellings

O'Daly · Dawley[1]

The Daly coat of arms

The name appears as 'O DALY, CONAUGHT' in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as printed by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named Daly is entitled to a coat of arms.[4]

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Daly 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.

Daly crest gifts

Clan Odaly Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapQG27 Classic Cap - Odaly Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Odaly Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Daly surname: questions

What does the surname Daly mean?

Woulfe gives Daly as an anglicised form of Ó Dálaigh, 'descendant of Dálach', glossed 'holding assemblies, frequenting assemblies'.[1]

Where in Ireland is Daly from?

Woulfe says the O'Dalys were originally chiefs of Corca Adhaimh in Westmeath, with branches later in Clare, Galway, Desmond and Cavan; he calls the name 'common all over Ireland'. In 1890 Daly births were principally in Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Galway and King's County.[1][3]

Why are the O'Dalys famous?

As poets. Woulfe calls them famous as a bardic family all over Ireland and quotes O'Donovan: 'There is certainly no family ... to which the bardic literature of Ireland is more deeply indebted than that of O'Daly.'[1]

How common is Daly in Ireland?

In Matheson's survey of the 1890 Births Index, Daly was 24th of the hundred principal surnames, with an estimated 17,000 people.[2]

Sources

  1. Ó Dálaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-dalaigh.php
  2. 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
  3. Daly — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/daly.php
  4. Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  5. Donough Mor O'Daly — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/DonoughMorODaly.php
  6. Aengus O'Daly — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/AengusODaly.php
  7. Dominic de Rosario O'Daly — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/DominicdeRosarioODaly.php
  8. Denis Daly — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/DenisDaly.php
  9. Records of King's/Offaly County Council — Offaly Archives, Offaly Archives (Offaly County Library). offalyarchives.com/index.php/records-of-kings-offaly-county-council

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