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Irish surname

Tully: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Mhaoltuile, Ó Maoltuile; also Ó Taithligh · 'son of Maoltuile' (devoted to the will, i.e., of God); Ó Taithligh is 'descendant of Taithleach' (quiet, peaceful)

Woulfe (1923) gives Tully as an anglicised form of two unrelated Irish names. Mac Mhaoltuile / Ó Maoltuile was a medical family, hereditary physicians to the O'Connors of Connacht; because the name was wrongly taken to mean 'son of the flood', it was also 'translated' Flood. Ó Taithligh was the name of a Tyrone family, chiefs of Ui Laoghaire, and of an ecclesiastical family in Fermanagh. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 45 Tully entries, principally in Galway, Dublin and Cavan.

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Coat of arms associated with the Tully surname
Irish formMac Mhaoltuile, Ó Maoltuile; also Ó Taithligh
Meaning'son of Maoltuile' (devoted to the will, i.e., of God); Ó Taithligh is 'descendant of Taithleach' (quiet, peaceful)
CountiesRoscommon, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Galway
Other spellings5
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Tully crest gifts

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Origin of the Tully name

Two names, per Woulfe: (1) Mac Mhaoltuile, 'son of Maoltuile', 'a medical family in Co. Roscommon, who were hereditary physicians to the O'Connors of Connacht'; under Ó Maoltuile he describes 'a medical family in Connacht and other parts of Ireland', physicians also to 'the O'Reillys of Breifney, &c.'; (2) Ó Taithligh, a Tyrone family who were chiefs of Ui Laoghaire, and an ecclesiastical family in Fermanagh.[1][2][3]

  1. 1366Four Masters: Maurice O'Maeltuile treacherously slain at Srath-Fear-Luirg. Woulfe gives Ó Maoltuile as Tully.[8][2]
  2. 1571Woulfe: in Ossory, as early as 1571, Ó Maoltuile was anglicised Fludd.[2]
  3. 189045 birth entries spelled Tully; principally Galway, Dublin and Cavan.[5][7]

Where in Ireland

Co. RoscommonMac Mhaoltuile: a medical family in Co. Roscommon, physicians to the O'Connors of Connacht.[1]
Co. TyroneÓ Taithligh: a Tyrone family who were chiefs of Ui Laoghaire.[3]
Co. FermanaghÓ Taithligh was also the name of an ecclesiastical family in Fermanagh.[3]
Co. GalwayFirst county named for Tully births in 1890.[5]
Co. DublinOne of three counties where Tully births were principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. CavanOne of three counties where Tully births were principally found in 1890.[5]

Other spellings

Flood (by 'translation') · MacAtilla · M'Cantully · Tally · Tilly[1][2]

The Tully coat of arms

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

Tully surname: questions

What does the surname Tully mean?

Woulfe gives Tully as a form of Mac Mhaoltuile, 'son of Maoltuile', which he explains as 'devoted to the will, i.e., of God'. For the unrelated Ó Taithligh he gives 'descendant of Taithleach' (quiet, peaceful).[1][3]

Are Tully and Flood the same name?

Woulfe links them. He says Mac Mhaoltuile was corrupted to Mac an Tuile and Mac Tuile, 'erroneously supposed to signify son of the flood', and accordingly anglicised Flood as well as Tully.[1][4]

Where in Ireland is the Tully name from?

Woulfe places the Mac Mhaoltuile physicians in Co. Roscommon and the Ó Taithligh families in Tyrone and Fermanagh. In 1890 Tully births were found principally in Galway, Dublin and Cavan.[1][3][5]

Were the Tullys physicians?

Woulfe says Ó Maoltuile was the name of a medical family in Connacht and other parts of Ireland, hereditary physicians to the O'Connors of Connacht and the O'Reillys of Breifney.[2]

Sources

  1. Mac Mhaoltuile — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macm/mac-mhaoltuile.php
  2. Ó Maoltuile — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-maoltuile.php
  3. Ó Taithligh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ot/o-taithligh.php
  4. Mac an Tuile — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-an-tuile.php
  5. Tully — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/tully.php
  6. Tully — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1989.php
  7. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1366 (part 20 of vol. C) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text020.html

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