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Irish surname

O'Leary: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Laoghaire · 'descendant of Laoghaire' (calf-keeper)

O'Leary is an anglicised form of Ó Laoghaire, 'descendant of Laoghaire' (calf-keeper). Woulfe (1923) describes a Corca Laoighdhe family from around Rosscarberry in West Cork who moved to Inchigeelagh and became lords there under the MacCarthys. In Matheson's 1890 survey Leary was the 62nd commonest surname in Ireland, with about 11,000 people.

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Coat of arms associated with the O'Leary surname
Irish formÓ Laoghaire
Meaning'descendant of Laoghaire' (calf-keeper)
CountiesCork, Kerry, Wexford
Other spellings1

Origin of the O'Leary name

Woulfe: a family of Corca Laoighdhe, originally chiefs of the country around Rosscarberry, West Cork. About the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion they moved to the parish of Inchigeelagh and became lords, under the MacCarthys, of the country between Macroom and Inchigeelagh. The head of the family lived at Carrignacurra, east of Inchigeelagh village.[1]

  1. 1642Connor O'Leary of Carrignacurra, Auliff O'Leary and fourteen others of the name attainted.[1]
  2. 1729Arthur O'Leary born at Acres, near Dunmanway, Co. Cork.[5]
  3. 1787John Wesley meets 'my old antagonist, Father O'Leary' (12 May).[5]
  4. 1890Leary is Ireland's 62nd commonest surname, about 11,000 people.[2]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkRosscarberry, then Inchigeelagh and Carrignacurra; in 1890, 93 Leary and 41 O'Leary birth entries.[1][3][4]
Co. KerrySecond county for both Leary and O'Leary birth entries in 1890.[3][4]
Co. Wexford21 Leary birth entries in 1890, the third-highest county.[3]

Notable people named O'Leary

Rev. Arthur O'Leary1729–1802Priest and pamphleteer from near Dunmanway; preached at Cork's Capuchin friary; Froude says he took government pay from 1784.[5]

Other spellings

Leary[1]

The O'Leary coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the O'Leary 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.

O'Leary crest gifts

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O'Leary surname: questions

What does the surname O'Leary mean?

Woulfe gives O'Leary and Leary as anglicised forms of Ó Laoghaire, 'descendant of Laoghaire', which he glosses as 'calf-keeper'.[1]

Where are the O'Learys from in Ireland?

From West Cork. Woulfe says they were first chiefs around Rosscarberry and, about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion, settled in the parish of Inchigeelagh, where they were lords under the MacCarthys between Macroom and Inchigeelagh.[1]

Where did the head of the O'Leary family live?

At Carrignacurra, about a mile east of the village of Inchigeelagh, according to Woulfe.[1]

Is O'Leary a common name in Cork?

Yes. Woulfe says the O'Learys are 'now very numerous throughout Munster', and in the 1890 births index Cork had the most entries for both Leary (93) and O'Leary (41).[1][3][4]

Sources

  1. Ó Laoghaire — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-laoghaire.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. Leary — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/leary.php
  4. O'Leary — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/oleary.php
  5. O'Leary, Arthur — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/ArthurOLeary.php

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