Genealogy Chat

Surname: Hart
Recorded in many spellings including Hart, Harte, Heart, Hart and Hartman (English), and Hart and Hartmann (German), de Herte (Flemish & Dutch), Hiorth and Hjorth (Swedish), this interesting surname was usually a nickname. It is medieval, and a good example of that sizeable group of early European surnames that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. The nicknames were given with reference to physical attributes and sometimes supposed resemblance to an animal's appearance or disposition. In this case the derivation is from pre 7th century word "heorot", and as a nickname this would have been given to a fast runner, or perhaps, given the robust humour of those times, the complete reverse! Where the suffix -man(n) is used, this suggests that the name was occupational, and may mean the friend or servant of Hart. In England where the earliest of all surname recordings are to be found one Roger Hert appears in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in the year 1166, and Simon le Hert is noted in the tax rolls known as the 'Feet of Fines' for the county of Kent in 1194. In some cases the surname may be of Irish origin, and is derived from the Gaelic O' hAirt, composed of the elements O', meaning male descendant of, and "Art", a byname meaning hero. One of the earliest settlers in the New World was John Hart, who embarqued from the Port of London, aboard the ship "Phillip", bound for Virginia in June 1635. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Aelfric Hort, which was dated circa 1060, in the "Olde English Byname Register", Hampshire, during the reign of King Edward, known as "The Confessor", 1040 - 1066. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surname: Clinton
This is an interesting habitational name that originates either from Glympton in Oxfordshire, named as 'settlement on the river Glyme' or from Glinton in Northants, which was recorded in 1060 in Northants as Clinton, and derives from the middle low German word 'glinde', an enclosure or fence, and the Olde English pre 7th Century 'tun', a settlement, thus a fenced village. The change from the initial 'G' to 'C' is common in nomenclature. A family of this name who have been Earls of Lincolnshire and Dukes of Newcastle held lands at Glympton Oxon, and their founder Geoffrey de Clinton was Chamberlain and Treasurer to King Henry I. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Geoffrey de Clinton, which was dated 1130 Records held at Gympton, Oxon, during the reign of King Henry I, The Lion of Justice, 1100 - 1135. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surname: Cawley
This name, with variant spellings Cowley and Kewley, has two distinct possible origins, the first being a dialectal variant of the placename Cowley found in Buckinghamshire, Devonshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Cloucestershire and Middlesex. The second element of the name i.e. "ley" derives, in all cases, from the Old English pre 7th Century "leah", a wood or clearing, and the first element "cow" may be either the Old English "cufl", a log or stump; "cu", a cow; or "col", charcoal. Early recordings of the surname from locational sources include Osbert de Couela, (Oxfordshire, 1167) and William de Colley, (Derbyshire, 1327). The second possibility is that the name is a Manx contraction of the Gaelic (Scots and Irish) MacAuley, itself coming from the Old Gaelic personal byname "Amhalghaidy" meaning "like unto a willow withe", or from MacAmhlaibh i.e. "son of Amlaib", from the Norse personal name "Anleif" meaning "god-relic". The names Cowley, Cawley and Kewley are particularly widespread in the Isle of Man, Cheshire and Lancashire. A famous Cawley was William Cawley (1602-1667), founder of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Chichester, 1626, and one of the judges of King Charles 1. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Cawley, (christening), which was dated March 3rd 1571, St. John the Baptist, Chester, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling

Surname: Tulley
This is an Anglo-Irish surname recorded in various spellings. It has two possible origins. If Irish it derives from the pre 10th century Old Gaelic names "O'Taithlagh", composed of the prefix "O", meaning male descendant of, and "taithleach", quiet or peaceful; or "O' Maol Tuile", including "maol", meaning follower of, and "Tuile", representing St. Tuile, and hence the translation of "the follower of St. Tuile". The surnames Flood, Tully, Tulley and MacAtilla all derive their origin from this source. The Tull(e)y sept were hereditary physicians to the chiefs of the O'Connor and O'Reilly clans, and legend has it that one Teag MacTully was present at the inauguration of Cathal O'Connor, the last King of Connacht in 1170. Tullystown near Granard is associated with the Breffny branch of the family. The second possible origin which certainly applies in England, is Norse-Viking, from the pre 7th century personal name "Toli". This spelling is recorded in the Domesday Book of London in the year 1086. Early examples of the surname recording include Peter Toli in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1155, and later from the registers of the diocese of the city of London, Hanna Tulley who married Thomas Dikes on September 18th 1662 at St. James church, Clerkenwell. A coat of arms granted to Tully has the blazon of Vert, a chevron between three silver wolves' heads, argent. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of Richard Toly. This was dated 1150, in the Chartulary of the Priory of St. Thomas, the Martyr, Stafford, during the reign of King Stephen of England, 1135 - 1154. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surname: Reilly
This famous clan surname is Irish. The twelth most numerous name in Ireland, it originates from Raghailligh, the grandson of Conchobhar, king of Connacht in the 10th century, and founder of the clan O'Connor. As such the O'Reillys are kinsmen of the O'Connor's. Traditionally, Irish family names are taken from the heads of tribes or as in this case from some illustrious warrior. They are usually prefixed by O' meaning grandson or male descendant of, or Mac denoting "son of". The O'Reilly territory was around Lough Oughter in County Cavan and as they increased their strength, they extended their territory to County Westmeath and Longford. The Franciscan Abbey of Cavan was founded by Giolla Iosa O'Reilly, and over the centuries there have been no less than thirty nine O'Reilly abbots, whilst five have been as Archbishops of Armagh, primates of All Ireland. The celebrated Count Alexander O'Reilly from County Meath distinguished himself first in the Austrian service and then in the Spanish army, and finally as Governor of the French colony of Louisiana where he died in 1797. The O'Reillys have a reputation as astute financiers. In the 15th Century, they devised their own coinage, and a "Reilly" came to signify a coin of useful value. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family is a green shield with two gold lions rampant combatant, supporting a dexter hand couped at the wrist erect and apaumee bloody proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Cathal O'Reilly, Prince of Breffny, which was dated 1237, in the records of Lough Oughter Monastery, County Cavan.

Surname: Conway
This interesting surname has at least four possible different ational origins, and is almost certainly, for most nameholders, not what its seems. That it is often locational is unarguable, but it is not usually, as is generally believed from the town of Conwy on the north coast of Wales. The first recording from that source is in 1406, one hundred and fifty years after the first 'English' recording, see below. However in a sense the nameholders of English and Welsh origins do have a shared ancestry in that they both derive from the Olde English pre 7th century 'Cam yea' meaning crooked river, various streams being so named in the English West Country in medieval times. The Scottish name holders probably derive from the hamlet of Conway in the parish of Beautly. This place was recorded as "Coneway" in the 1215 rolls. In this case the name is a claimed anglicisation of the Gaelic "Coinmheadh" which translates as "free quarter", implying a district in which troops were billeted on the local inhabitants. This is an interesting observation, although its accuracy must be open to doubt. It was the normal practise to billet troops by 'free quarter' at anytime. In Ireland "Conway" is often an anglicized form of several Irish names, such as Mac Connmhaigh, a byname meaning "Head Smasher"(!) or Mac Connbhuidhe, - the "Yellow Hound", another interesting nickname. The (Mac) Conway sept belonged to counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary. In 1360, the Annals of the Four Masters record the death of one Gillangnaer O' Connmhaigh. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John de Conweye. which was dated 1268, in the "Chartulary of Glastonbury", Somerset. during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surname: Campion
This interesting name, with variant spellings Campion, Campione, Champion, Champain and Championnet, has two distinct possible origins, the first and most likely being an occupational name for a professional Champion, deriving from the Old Norman-French "campiun" or "campion" (Old French "champiun"), a champion or professional fighter employed to represent one of the parties to a suit in a trial by combat. (In an ordeal by battle the accuser and the accused took the field themselves). The surname is believed to have been introduced into England by followers of William the Conqueror after the Norman Invasion of 1066. Early recordings of the surname include: Herbert Campion (Hampshire, 1148); Geoffrey Champiun (Northamptonshire, 1154); Roger le Campion (Oxfordshire, 1197); and William le Champiun (Suffolk, 1220). The second possibility is that the name is locational from a place in Picardy (Northern France), called Compiegne. A family of the name in Witham, Essex, claim descent from the noble recorded below who accompanied Robert 11, Duke of Normandy, on the First Crusade. One member of this family was Edmund Campion (1540 - 1581), the Jesuit Martyr. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Nicole de Campion, which was dated 1096 - 1099, in "Records of the First Crusade", during the reign of King William 11, known as "Rufus", 1087 - 1100. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surname: Ruane
This notable Irish surname is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic "O'Ruadhain", which translates as "the descendant of the red one". It is not proven whether "Ruadhan" (red) refers to complexion or hair, or to some notable event relating to the prowess of a warrior, but either way it is a descriptive nickname from the pre-medieval period. The clan originated in the two ancient areas known as Ui Maine and Ui Fiachrach, in Counties Mayo and Galway respectively, and even today, with some exceptions, these remain the principle places associated with Ruane. The 16th Century Elizabethan land Registers and the 1659 Petty's "census" of Ireland give the then spelling as mainly "O'Rowane" and "O'Rowghan", although there are many forms including O'Rowan, Rown, Roan and Rowan. An early example was Morietagh O'Rowane of Ballinvalle, County Wexford, who received a royal pardon on June 10th 1584; he was described as a "Gentleman". The O'Rowans of County Mayo were also described as "persons of property" in 1659, although this description would probably not have been given to Timothy Ruane, aged 22 yrs., of County Galway, who was one of the famine emigrants leaving on the ship "Barlow" of Liverpool, bound for New York in April 1847. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Felix O'Ruadhain, Archbishop of Tuam, County Galway, which was dated 1215, in the "Register of the Irish Prelates in the Vatican", Rome, during the reign of King John of England, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

check before you ask - Hogan and Keane/Caine have been done I'm pretty sure - trawl back through

Ann

Dorothy - this is not a Trying to Find thread, it's a surname origins thread - best put yours on Trying to Find - it will get lost in amongst this thread

Ann X

HI TERESA I HAVE KEANE,REILLY AND CONWAY ANYTHING WOULD BE HELPFULL MANY THANKS

any info on patrick o'melia born somewhere in ireland d o b 1830 also patrick 1839

hi ther i have
callaghan
keane/caine
hart
cawley
tulley
ruane
thank you

I have a few Irish names so any info would be helpful:

Clinton
Hogan
Campion
O'Hallowin (not sure if this is spelt correctly by my ancestor!)

Many thanks

Jill

Thanks Ann of Green Gables for the info on Comer, very interesting. I will go into the web site.

somerset man

McKEOWN and LYNN can both be found on here.

http://www.surnamedb.com/index.aspx

no worries - I enjoy it!!

Ann.....Thanks for keeping this thread going.

Sorry I haven't been on here for a while, but my computer was 'capput' for over a week and I've been busy down loading everything on to CD's before it goes 'capput' again. Looks like I will have to fork out for a new one as my hard drive is the problem and its getting old now. Not just me using my computer but the whole family..what a nightmare.
Hope to be back on here later.

Teresa

Hennessey

Ir. surname, from O'(h)Aonghusa "descendant of Aonghus" ("one-choice").

Surname: Hennessey
Sorry we have yet to research the origin of the surname Hennessey

But don't despair :-) We still endeavour to research about 10 surnames a month. To make sure that we can serve as many people as possible we have a scheme for researching the names with the most interest.

We measure this by the number of people watching a surname, we will research the names from the top of this list. So register with us and add the surnames your interested in to your watch list, and we will email you when these names get updated.