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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Early Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Early

What does the name Early mean?

During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Irish Gaelic names were forcibly translated in English. The Irish O'Maolmocheirghe, often anglicized as O'Mulmohery and Mulmoher, began to be substituted with Early and Earley, a loose translation of the elements "moch" meaning early and "eirghe" meaning rising.

Early Origins of the Early family

The surname Early was first found in the 12th and 13th centuries, when a bishop of Breffny near Kilmore in Galway and an abbot of Kells in County Meath were both called O'Mulmoghery. In Counties Kilkenny and Tipperary the name Erley is of Norman descent, and is sometimes found as d'Erley. Robert Erley was the Prior of Kells in County Kilkenny in 1361, and Erleystown was on record in Tipperary as early as 1305.

Early History of the Early family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Early research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1659, 1814 and 1874 are included under the topic Early Early History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Early Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Early, Earley, O'Mulmohery, Mulmoher and many more.

Early Notables of the Early family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

John Early...

Early Ranking

In the United States, the name Early is the 1,994^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1

Early migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Early Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Early, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 2
John Early, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 2

Early Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Early, who landed in North Carolina in 1701 2
Jeremia Early, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 2
Jacob Early, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1761 2

Early Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Early, who landed in America in 1804 2
Catherine Early, who arrived in Baltimore in 1829
Michael Early, who landed in New York in 1833 2
William Early, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1834 2
Patrick Early, who sailed to Baltimore in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Early migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Early Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Early, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814
Donald Early, who landed in Quebec in 1825
Pat Early, who immigrated to Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833
Patrick Early, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Mary Early, aged 24, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Britannia" from Sligo, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Early migration to Australia +

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

Early Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Early, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1848 3
George Early, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1848 3
Mark Early, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"

Early 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:

Early Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

J. W. Early a farmer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Romulus" in 1862
J. Early, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
Miss Bridget Early, (b. 1859), aged 20, Irish cook, from Sligo travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Early (post 1700) +

Penny Ann Early (1943-2023), American first female jockey to be licensed to ride parimutuel horse races, and the first woman ever to play in a professional men's basketball league during the 1960s
Gerald Early (b. 1952), American author
Joseph Daniel Early (b. 1933), American politician, U.S. House of Representatives for Massachusetts from 1975 to 1993
James M Early, American engineer, best known for his work on transistors, eponym of the Early Effect
Burd Early, American rock artist
Delloreese Patricia Early (b. 1931), birth name of Della Reese, American Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award multiple Grammy Award nominated actress, singer, and ordained minister
Jubal Anderson Early (1816-1894), Confederate general in the American Civil War
Delbert E. Early, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State Treasurer, 1916 5
Daisy M. Early, American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee, 1941; Candidate for Presidential Elector for West Virginia, 1948 5
D. Miller Early, American politician, Burgess of Wilson, Pennsylvania, 1927-37 5
... (Another 32 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BOLTON 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Bolton.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html