Home › Irish Surnames › Geary
Irish surname
Ó Gadhra; also Mac Gadhra · 'descendant of Gadhra' (an old Irish personal name, perhaps from gadhar, a dog, mastiff); Mac Gadhra = 'son of Gadhra'
Woulfe (1923) prints Geary as an anglicised form under two headwords. The first is Ó Gadhra, 'descendant of Gadhra', 'the name of a Connacht family, of the same stock as the O'Haras'; of it he writes that 'branches of the family had settled in Munster before the end of the 16th century, and the name still flourishes in Cork, Kerry and Limerick, under the anglicised forms of Geary and Guiry'. The second is Mac Gadhra, 'son of Gadhra', 'an old, but rare, Roscommon surname', also anglicised MacGeary. In the 1890 birth indexes Matheson records 26 entries including spelling varieties (24 spelled Geary) — Leinster 3, Munster 18, Ulster 2, Connaught 3 — and gives Cork as the county in which the name was principally found.
Woulfe prints Geary under two headwords: Ó Gadhra, 'the name of a Connacht family, of the same stock as the O'Haras', whose 'branches of the family had settled in Munster before the end of the 16th century, and the name still flourishes in Cork, Kerry and Limerick, under the anglicised forms of Geary and Guiry'; and Mac Gadhra, 'an old, but rare, Roscommon surname', also MacGeary, Geary.[1][2]
Guiry · O Geary · MacGeary · Gery · M'Gerry[1]
The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Geary 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.
Woulfe gives Geary as a form of two names: Ó Gadhra, 'descendant of Gadhra' (an old Irish personal name, perhaps from gadhar, a dog, mastiff), and Mac Gadhra, 'son of Gadhra'.[1][2]
Woulfe writes of the Ó Gadhra family (the O'Garas) that 'branches of the family had settled in Munster before the end of the 16th century, and the name still flourishes in Cork, Kerry and Limerick, under the anglicised forms of Geary and Guiry'. The main O'Gara line, styled lords of Sliabh Lugha and later of Coolavin, is covered on its own hub.[1]
Woulfe prints Geary under two headwords: Ó Gadhra, 'the name of a Connacht family', whose clan-lands embraced 'the modern baronies of Leyney and Corran, in Co. Sligo', 'the barony of Gallen, in Co. Mayo' and Sliabh Lugha; and Mac Gadhra, 'an old, but rare, Roscommon surname', 'pronounced Mac Gaora in Co. Galway where it still survives'. In Matheson's 1890 birth index the county principally found for Geary was Cork.[3][1][2]
Woulfe lists MacGeary as one of the anglicised forms of Mac Gadhra, 'an old, but rare, Roscommon surname', pronounced Mac Gaora in Co. Galway where it still survives.[2]
Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).
Thanks for subscribing!
This email has been registered!
Ogeary Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00
Geary Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00
Geary Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00
Ogeary Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00