158,225 Global KELLEY Family Members

Days Hours Minutes Seconds
KELLEY Family Room Next Event:

Sunday 10th November
2pm (New York), 7pm (Ire)

Live

Stay informed about KELLEY Family events
52 KELLEY Members Joined

My KELLEY family came from?

Don't forget to share within your family whatsapp groups



Days Hours Minutes Seconds
KELLEY Family Room Next Event:

Sunday 10th November
2pm (New York), 7pm (Ire)

Live

Our in-person family gatherings

Our TEDx talk about family gatherings

KELLEY Family History

Ó Ceallaigh is angliciized as (O) Kelly, Kelley &c. the name Ceallach has been translated as 'strife' or 'contention' or 'bright-headed'.

There were several powerful distinct septs of the name. The two most influential were the Uí Maine sept in Oriel, ruling extensive lands in Connacht, and the Southern Uí Néill sept in Meath who were lords of Brega, near Navan; they were one of 'the four tribes of Tara'. Other septs were in Derry, three in Laois, one in Wicklow, one in Sligo and one branch of the Corca Laoidhe in west Cork

In the 1659 'Census' of Sir William Petty, Kelly is listed as a 'Principal Irish Name' in the following counties (NB Galway, Mayo & Tyrone returns are missing): all figures are for families, Kildare (240 + a scattering of Keely, see below); Kilkenny (133); Laois (121); Dublin (98) + city (16); Down (63 -some still with prefix 'O'); Meath (54); Donegal (39, often with prefix 'O'); Tipperary (90, including 30 or so 'Kealy' this last may well be a distinct name, Ó Caollaidhe, a sept in Co Kilkenny); Clare (28); Offaly, Kelly (18) and Keely (36, see foregoing); etc etc

By the time of Griffith's 'Primary Valuation' (1850s) of households in Ireland, high numbers are recorded over the whole country: the top five counties are: Galway (986) Roscommon (815) Tyrone (514) Kilkenny (466) and Kildare (461).

In the Registrar General's Report on births in 1890, Kelly has the second highest number in Ireland, the most being in Dublin, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Cork.

Kelly is also a surname from Kelly in Devon (from 'kelli' which is Cornish for 'grove'), and a family of the name has been established there since 1086. Place names in Scotland, Kelly near Arbroath and Kellie in Fife, have also given rise to the Scottish surname. Kelly is also a surname of the clan MacDonald. There are many Irish names whose anglicised forms are identical to lesser known British names; individuals bearing these British names were in Ireland during especially the 17th century, as officials, settlers and soldiers. (v. Appendix).


Early references:

'Mór, daughter of Donnchadh, son of Ceallach, and queen of Ireland, died': recorded in the Annals of Tigernach for 986.

Tadhg ua Ceallaigh, lord of Uí Maine, died at the Battle of Clontarf: recorded for 1013 in the Annals of the Four Masters.


Two famous Kellys:

Grace Kelly (1929-1982) film star and Princess of Monaco.
Gerry Kelly (b 1953) IRA volunteer in the northern 'Troubles', now Sinn Féin politician.



Appendix.
Also q. v. v. Boland, Boyle, Brady, Breen, Buckley, Canny, Car(e)y, Conway, Craven, Crowley, Cullen, Curry, Delan(e)y, Farren, Fearon, Foley, Gavin, Geary, Gorman, Hanl(e)y, Healy, Hurl(e)y, Hynes, Kelly, Kenny, Larkin, Loftus, Long, Luc(e)y, Lyons, Mullen, Rea, Reaney, Ring, Sexton, Trac(e)y, Tunney et. al.
Introduce yourself
KELLEY family crest

My KELLEY Family Story

is with

Choose
    X X
    Schedule a KELLEY Video Meeting
    1) Choose a date
    2) Choose time
    3) Add agenda
    Invite KELLEY Members
    😀😬😁😂😃😄😅😆😇😉😊🙂🙃☺😋😌😍😘😗😙😚😜😝😛🤑🤓😎🤗😏😶😐😑😒🙄🤔😳😞😟😠😡😔😕🙁☹😣😖😫😩😤😮😱😨😰😯😦😧😢😥😪😓😭😵😲🤐😷🤒🤕😴💤💩😈👿👹👺💀👻👽🤖😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾🙌👏👋👍👎👊✊✌👌✋👐💪🙏☝👆👇👈👉🖕🖐🤘🖖✍💅👄👅👂👃👁👀👤👥🗣👶👦👧👨👩👱👴👵👲👳👮👷💂🕵🎅👼👸👰🚶🏃💃👯👫👬👭🙇💁🙅🙆🙋🙎🙍💇💆💑👩‍❤️‍👩👨‍❤️‍👨💏👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨👪👨‍👩‍👧👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👧‍👧👩‍👩‍👦👩‍👩‍👧👩‍👩‍👧‍👦👩‍👩‍👦‍👦👩‍👩‍👧‍👧👨‍👨‍👦👨‍👨‍👧👨‍👨‍👧‍👦👨‍👨‍👦‍👦👨‍👨‍👧‍👧👚👕👖👔👗👙👘💄💋👣👠👡👢👞👟👒🎩🎓👑⛑🎒👝👛👜💼👓🕶💍🌂
    🐶🐱🐭🐹🐰🐻🐼🐨🐯🦁🐮🐷🐽🐸🐙🐵🙈🙉🙊🐒🐔🐧🐦🐤🐣🐥🐺🐗🐴🦄🐝🐛🐌🐞🐜🕷🦂🦀🐍🐢🐠🐟🐡🐬🐳🐋🐊🐆🐅🐃🐂🐄🐪🐫🐘🐐🐏🐑🐎🐖🐀🐁🐓🦃🕊🐕🐩🐈🐇🐿🐾🐉🐲🌵🎄🌲🌳🌴🌱🌿☘🍀🎍🎋🍃🍂🍁🌾🌺🌻🌹🌷🌼🌸💐🍄🌰🎃🐚🕸🌎🌍🌏🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌚🌝🌛🌜🌞🌙⭐🌟💫✨☄☀🌤⛅🌥🌦☁🌧⛈🌩⚡🔥💥❄🌨☃⛄🌬💨🌪🌫☂☔💧💦🌊
    🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍌🍉🍇🍓🍈🍒🍑🍍🍅🍆🌶🌽🍠🍯🍞🧀🍗🍖🍤🍳🍔🍟🌭🍕🍝🌮🌯🍜🍲🍥🍣🍱🍛🍙🍚🍘🍢🍡🍧🍨🍦🍰🎂🍮🍬🍭🍫🍿🍩🍪🍺🍻🍷🍸🍹🍾🍶🍵☕🍼🍴🍽
    ⚽🏀🏈⚾🎾🏐🏉🎱⛳🏌🏓🏸🏒🏑🏏🎿⛷🏂⛸🏹🎣🚣🏊🏄🛀⛹🏋🚴🚵🏇🕴🏆🎽🏅🎖🎗🏵🎫🎟🎭🎨🎪🎤🎧🎼🎹🎷🎺🎸🎻🎬🎮👾🎯🎲🎰🎳
    🚗🚕🚙🚌🚎🏎🚓🚑🚒🚐🚚🚛🚜🏍🚲🚨🚔🚍🚘🚖🚡🚠🚟🚃🚋🚝🚄🚅🚈🚞🚂🚆🚇🚊🚉🚁🛩✈🛫🛬⛵🛥🚤⛴🛳🚀🛰💺⚓🚧⛽🚏🚦🚥🏁🚢🎡🎢🎠🏗🌁🗼🏭⛲🎑⛰🏔🗻🌋🗾🏕⛺🏞🛣🛤🌅🌄🏜🏖🏝🌇🌆🏙🌃🌉🌌🌠🎇🎆🌈🏘🏰🏯🏟🗽🏠🏡🏚🏢🏬🏣🏤🏥🏦🏨🏪🏫🏩💒🏛⛪🕌🕍🕋⛩
    ⌚📱📲💻⌨🖥🖨🖱🖲🕹🗜💽💾💿📀📼📷📸📹🎥📽🎞📞☎📟📠📺📻🎙🎚🎛⏱⏲⏰🕰⏳⌛📡🔋🔌💡🔦🕯🗑🛢💸💵💴💶💷💰💳💎⚖🔧🔨⚒🛠⛏🔩⚙⛓🔫💣🔪🗡⚔🛡🚬☠⚰⚱🏺🔮📿💈⚗🔭🔬🕳💊💉🌡🏷🔖🚽🚿🛁🔑🗝🛋🛌🛏🚪🛎🖼🗺⛱🗿🛍🎈🎏🎀🎁🎊🎉🎎🎐🎌🏮✉📩📨📧💌📮📪📫📬📭📦📯📥📤📜📃📑📊📈📉📄📅📆🗓📇🗃🗳🗄📋🗒📁📂🗂🗞📰📓📕📗📘📙📔📒📚📖🔗📎🖇✂📐📏📌📍🚩🏳🏴🔐🔒🔓🔏🖊🖋✒📝✏🖍🖌🔍🔎
    ❤💛💚💙💜💔❣💕💞💓💗💖💘💝💟☮✝☪🕉☸✡🔯🕎☯☦🛐⛎♈♉♊♋♌♍♎♏♐♑♒♓🆔⚛🈳🈹☢☣📴📳🈶🈚🈸🈺🈷✴🆚🉑💮🉐㊙㊗🈴🈵🈲🅰🅱🆎🆑🅾🆘⛔📛🚫❌⭕💢♨🚷🚯🚳🚱🔞📵❗❕❓❔‼⁉💯🔅🔆🔱⚜〽⚠🚸🔰♻🈯💹❇✳❎✅💠🌀➿🌐Ⓜ🏧🈂🛂🛃🛄🛅♿🚭🚾🅿🚰🚹🚺🚼🚻🚮🎦📶🈁🆖🆗🆙🆒🆕🆓0⃣1⃣2⃣3⃣4⃣5⃣6⃣7⃣8⃣9⃣🔟🔢▶⏸⏯⏹⏺⏭⏮⏩⏪🔀🔁🔂◀🔼🔽⏫⏬➡⬅⬆⬇↗↘↙↖↕↔🔄↪↩⤴⤵#⃣*⃣ℹ🔤🔡🔠🔣🎵🎶〰➰✔🔃➕➖➗✖💲💱🔚🔙🔛🔝🔜☑🔘⚪⚫🔴🔵🔸🔹🔶🔷🔺▪▫⬛⬜🔻◼◻◾◽🔲🔳🔈🔉🔊🔇📣📢🔔🔕🃏🀄♠♣♥♦🎴🗨💭🗯💬🕐🕑🕒🕓🕔🕕🕖🕗🕘🕙🕚🕛🕜🕝🕞🕟🕠🕡🕢🕣🕤🕥🕦🕧
    🇦🇫🇦🇽🇦🇱🇩🇿🇦🇸🇦🇩🇦🇴🇦🇮🇦🇶🇦🇬🇦🇷🇦🇲🇦🇼🇦🇺🇦🇹🇦🇿🇧🇸🇧🇭🇧🇩🇧🇧🇧🇾🇧🇪🇧🇿🇧🇯🇧🇲🇧🇹🇧🇴🇧🇶🇧🇦🇧🇼🇧🇷🇮🇴🇻🇬🇧🇳🇧🇬🇧🇫🇧🇮🇨🇻🇰🇭🇨🇲🇨🇦🇮🇨🇰🇾🇨🇫🇹🇩🇨🇱🇨🇳🇨🇽🇨🇨🇨🇴🇰🇲🇨🇬🇨🇩🇨🇰🇨🇷🇭🇷🇨🇺🇨🇼🇨🇾🇨🇿🇩🇰🇩🇯🇩🇲🇩🇴🇪🇨🇪🇬🇸🇻🇬🇶🇪🇷🇪🇪🇪🇹🇪🇺🇫🇰🇫🇴🇫🇯🇫🇮🇫🇷🇬🇫🇵🇫🇹🇫🇬🇦🇬🇲🇬🇪🇩🇪🇬🇭🇬🇮🇬🇷🇬🇱🇬🇩🇬🇵🇬🇺🇬🇹🇬🇬🇬🇳🇬🇼🇬🇾🇭🇹🇭🇳🇭🇰🇭🇺🇮🇸🇮🇳🇮🇩🇮🇷🇮🇶🇮🇪🇮🇲🇮🇱🇮🇹🇨🇮🇯🇲🇯🇵🇯🇪🇯🇴🇰🇿🇰🇪🇰🇮🇽🇰🇰🇼🇰🇬🇱🇦🇱🇻🇱🇧🇱🇸🇱🇷🇱🇾🇱🇮🇱🇹🇱🇺🇲🇴🇲🇰🇲🇬🇲🇼🇲🇾🇲🇻🇲🇱🇲🇹🇲🇭🇲🇶🇲🇷🇲🇺🇾🇹🇲🇽🇫🇲🇲🇩🇲🇨🇲🇳🇲🇪🇲🇸🇲🇦🇲🇿🇲🇲🇳🇦🇳🇷🇳🇵🇳🇱🇳🇨🇳🇿🇳🇮🇳🇪🇳🇬🇳🇺🇳🇫🇲🇵🇰🇵🇳🇴🇴🇲🇵🇰🇵🇼🇵🇸🇵🇦🇵🇬🇵🇾🇵🇪🇵🇭🇵🇳🇵🇱🇵🇹🇵🇷🇶🇦🇷🇪🇷🇴🇷🇺🇷🇼🇧🇱🇸🇭🇰🇳🇱🇨🇵🇲🇻🇨🇼🇸🇸🇲🇸🇹🇸🇦🇸🇳🇷🇸🇸🇨🇸🇱🇸🇬🇸🇽🇸🇰🇸🇮🇸🇧🇸🇴🇿🇦🇬🇸🇰🇷🇸🇸🇪🇸🇱🇰🇸🇩🇸🇷🇸🇿🇸🇪🇨🇭🇸🇾🇹🇼🇹🇯🇹🇿🇹🇭🇹🇱🇹🇬🇹🇰🇹🇴🇹🇹🇹🇳🇹🇷🇹🇲🇹🇨🇹🇻🇺🇬🇺🇦🇦🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸🇻🇮🇺🇾🇺🇿🇻🇺🇻🇦🇻🇪🇻🇳🇼🇫🇪🇭🇾🇪🇿🇲🇿🇼

    Add to Your Post

    Select Audience

    Who can see your post?

    Your post will show up in News Feed, on your profile and in search results.
    • Public

      Anyone on or off Wales101
    • Friends

      Your friends on Wales101
    • Specific

      Only show to some friends
    • Only me

      Only you can see your post

    Tag People

    SUGGESTIONS
    • Kane William

    • John Micky

    • John william

    • John Smith

    • John

    Create Life Event

    Share and remember important moments from your life.
    logo

    Barbara Ann Thomas

    My ELisha Kelley family lived in Chickamago ,TN USA   during the Civil War....My  great grandmother was Mary Ann Martha Kelley from this family Married Jame Alexander Stephenson ..My maiden name is Barbara  Ann Bagwell....
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    Kelley

    I am trying to trace where my Kelley ancestors are from. My grandfather was Jasper Holly Kelley. He and my grandmother Ida Susan nee Hood lived in Alderson, Pittsburgh County, Oklahoma, USA. Their only daughter, Mary Jane was my mother.
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    Kelley

    I have found out recently that I am a Kelley. My wife has helped me trace my roots back to a John Jacob Kelley whom served with the union in the civil war in the USA. His father is a Jacob Kelley and we can't find further than that for the Kelley name to have came across the Atlantic. We do have an O'Ceallis name as well, which I see is where Kelley came from. Ancestry.com does not help much past where we are now. What other resources would be suggested to use to help trace my roots further back?
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    Jennie Graber

    My granddad's (Albert Sommers Kelley) grandfather (James Mac Kelley) was buried in Somerville TN. We are trying to find information on the Kelley family in Ireland. My mom always believed they were O'Kelleys. But, my granddad's grandmothers tomb says "wife of James Mac Kelley" So we aren't sure who we are anymore. lol Any information or help is greatly appreciated!
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    Melinda Kelley Koslovsky

    I’m trying to find out who my 4th great grandparents are, and if they were from Ireland. Family lore indicates my dad’s ancestors emigrated from Ireland. My earliest known ancestor is Stephen J Kelley, my 3rd great grandfather, born 1790 in NC. His 1st wife was Elizabeth, m abt 1823. They had a daughter, Elizabeth b 1824. His 2nd wife was Mary Polly Maxey Collier, b 1807 in NC, they were married in 1837 in Madison County MO, they lived in Jackson County IL, and had 3 sons: Stephen b 1840, Benjamin Franklin Kelley (my 2nd Great Grandfather) b 1844, and Morgan b abt 1844 as well. Any information you can share will be truly appreciated!
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    ireis

    my family has Delbert,Ben as great uncles and grandfather named Delbert Kelley I am trying to make contact with anyone who can tell me of connection or relatives in Ireland.
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    editor101

    In answer to the query over spelling Kelly and Kelley are only anglicised forms of Ceallaigh. Both bewildered English officials and beleaguered natives had a blithe disregard over spelling in the 17th century, when anglicisation occurred in a big way. These two spellings have survived into modern times, but there were surely more! C
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    Kelleym1

    Anyone know the reason some have two es in Kelley and some one?
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    Obbop

    Family legend in the upper-Midwest of the USA is that Kelley designates Protestant and Kelly designates Catholic religion adherence. No proof of this. Whether true or not is unknown to me.
    Hire an expert Reply
    logo

    NKelley74

    slinte mhaith ! Go n-eiri an t-adh leat! . To the Kelley Clan!
    Hire an expert Reply
    Areas of Origin for KELLEY

    Invite more KELLEY family members!

    Write an email address and click 'Invite' to share this page with more members of the KELLEY tribe.

    Log in or Register to invite others
    Family Coat of Arms Generator

    Why not see what your family crest could look like based on your own family characteristics?

    Create Crest
    LEARN

    Discover where the KELLEY Family members live around the world

    Explore where tribe members live today!

    Join the Irish Learning Rooms

    Mondays

    Travel Planning to Ireland101

    Niamh Long

    Tuesdays

    Irish Business 101

    Ed Murphy

    Wednesdays

    Irish Folklore 101

    Thursdays

    Irish Language 101

    Noah Buffini Higgs

    Fridays

    Irish History 101

    Michael Doyle
    SHOP

    Show off the KELLEY Family Crest…

    Wear your crest with pride...plenty of products to choose from