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Connolly History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Connolly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Connolly

What does the name Connolly mean?

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Connolly is Ó Conghalaigh, Ó Conghaile, or Ó Coingheallaigh. 1

Early Origins of the Connolly family

The surname Connolly was first found in Connacht and Munster, as well as County Monaghan and Leinster. There were three Gaelic septs whose name was Anglicized as Connolly: the O Conghalaigh sept (also known as O Conghaile) who lived in Connacht and the adjacent County Monaghan; the O Coingheallaigh sept, which also used the alias Mac Coingheallaigh, were subordinate to the powerful O'Donovans and dwelled in West Cork in Munster; and another sept, related to the O'Maddens, resided in Connacht and were of the Ui Maine. 2

Early History of the Connolly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Connolly research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1014, 1591, 1660, 1715, 1729, 1738, 1750, 1760, 1803 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Connolly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Connolly Spelling Variations

Lacking standardized spellings, scribes and church officials recorded people's name according to how they sounded. This practice often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Connolly are preserved in the archival documents of the period. The various spellings of the name that were found include Connolly, Conolly, Connally, O'Connolly, Connolley, Conally, Connelly, Conoley, Connaleigh, Connelay, Conley, Conlay, Conlaye and many more.

Early Notables of the Connolly family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

William Connolly (c.1660-1729), Speaker of the House of Commons. He was the son of a publican, or, as some say, of a blacksmith. Having been called to the bar, he soon made way in his profession; but...
Thomas Connolly (1738-1803), Irish politician, was only son of William Conolly, first M.P. for Ballyshannon. The fortunes of the Conolly family in Ireland had been founded by William Conolly (d. 1729)...
The Most Rev. John Connolly (1750-1825), was Dominican Archbishop of New York

Connolly World Ranking

In the United States, the name Connolly is the 1,350^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Connolly is ranked the 295^th most popular surname with an estimated 152 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Connolly is the 530^th popular surname with an estimated 7,290 people with that name. 5 New Zealand ranks Connolly as 537^th with 1,301 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Connolly as 387^th with 16,621 people. 7

Connolly migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Connolly:

Connolly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Connolly, who settled in Virginia in 1773
John Connolly, who settled in Maryland in 1776

Connolly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Connolly, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1812 8
James Connolly, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1813 8
William J Connolly, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 8
Edward Connolly, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 8
Henry Connolly, who landed in New York in 1822 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connolly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Connolly Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Philip Connolly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Connolly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Connolly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814
Bernard Connolly, aged 26, a tailor, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Ellen Connolly, aged 19, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Peter Connolly, aged 13, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Edward Connolly, aged 40, a weaver, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connolly migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Connolly Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. William Connolly (b. 1760), aged 26, Cornish settler convicted in Bodmin, Cornwall, UK on 19th March 1785, sentenced for 7 years for breaking and entering, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" on 13th May 1787 to New South Wales, Australia 9

Connolly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Connolly, (Connelly), (b. 1780), aged 21, Irish flax dresser who was convicted in Meath, Ireland for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Miss Anne Connolly, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Miss Margaret Connolly, Irish convict who was convicted in County Down, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Christopher Connolly, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
Miss Bridget Connolly, (b. 1789), aged 29, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1830 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connolly migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Connolly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

W C Connolly, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1838
Mr. Michael Connolly, British settler as part of the 8th Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 14
Miss Margaret Connolly, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st June 1851 14
Margaret Connolly, aged 16, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stately" in 1851
Michael Connolly, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maori" in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Connolly (post 1700) +

Erika Connolly (b. 1998), née Brown, American swimmer who competed in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics
William Gerard Connolly (1937-2023), American newspaper editor at The New York Times across four decades, co-author of The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage
Thomas Joseph Connolly (1922-2015), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Baker in Oregon from 1971 to 1999
Theodore William Connolly (1931-2014), former professional American football player for the San Francisco 49ers from 1954 to 1962 and Cleveland Browns in 1963
James Brendan Bennet "Jamie" Connolly (1865-1957), Irish-born, American Olympic gold, two-time silver and bronze medalist athlete for the 1896 and 1900 games, as well he is an author 15
Daniel Paul "Dan" Connolly (b. 1982), American NFL football guard and center for the New England Patriots
Major-General Donald Hilary Connolly (1886-1969), American Deputy Army-Navy Liquidation Commissioner (1945-1946) 16
Maureen Catherine "Little Mo" Connolly (1934-1969), American tennis player who was the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments during the same calendar year
Colm Connolly (1942-2025), Irish journalist, documentarian and newsreader
Gerard C. Connolly (1937-2024), Irish Fianna Fáil politician
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Connolly family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Richard Connolly (1882-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 17

HMS Dorsetshire

Eli Connolly (d. 1945), British Engine Room Artificer 4th Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 18
Daniel Connolly (d. 1945), British Able Seaman aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 18

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Stephen Connolly, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 19

North Sea Flood

Robert McNair Connolly, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Michael Connolly, American 3rd Class passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 20

RMS Titanic

Miss Catherine "Kate" Connolly (d. 1912), aged 35, Irish Third Class passenger from Bank Place, Tipperary who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 21
Miss Katherine "Kate" Connolly, aged 22, Irish Third Class passenger from Cortrasna, Cavan who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 13 21

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Athletes - Famous Olympic Athletes, Medalists, Sports Heroes. (Retrieved 2013, July 15) James Connolly. Retrieved from http://www.olympic.org/james-connolly
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) Donald Connolly. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Connolly/Donald_Hilary/USA.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html