Galwey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland
• Scotland
• England

Etymology of Galwey

When the Anglo-Normans began to settle in Ireland, they brought the tradition of local surnames to an island which already had a Gaelic naming system of hereditary surnames established. Unlike the Irish, the Anglo-Normans had an affinity for local surnames. Local surnames, such as Galwey, were formed from the names of a place or a geographical landmark where the person lived, held land, or was born. The earliest Anglo-Norman surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they created names that referred to where they actually resided. Therefore, English places were used for names when the Normans lived in England, and then Irish places after these particular Anglo-Normans had been settled in Ireland for some time. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. However, this type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or it was eliminated entirely. The Galwey family originally lived in either of two places. The Galwey family of Ulster derives its name from the region of Galloway in southern Scotland, which lies nearby. However, the southern Galwey family probably derives its surname from the city or county of Galway in Ireland.

Early Origins of the Galwey family

Early History of the Galwey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Galwey research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1361 and 1430 are included under the topic Early Galwey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galwey Spelling Variations

It was found during an investigation of the origins of the name Galwey that church officials and medieval scribes often spelled the name as it sounded. This practice lead to a single person's being documented under many spelling variations. The name Galwey has existed in the various shapes: Galwey, Galswey, Galway, Gallway, Gallwey and many more.

Early Notables of the Galwey family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

• Sir John of Galwey

Migration of the Galwey family

Irish immigration to North American began in the late 18th century as many Irish families desired to own their own land. This pattern of immigration grew slowly yet steadily until the 1840s. At that time, a failed crop and a growing population in Ireland resulted in the Great Potato Famine. Poverty, disease, and starvation ravaged the land. To ease their pain and suffering the Irish often looked upon North America as a solution: hundreds of thousands undertook the voyage. Their arrival meant the growth of industry and commerce for British North America and the United States. For the individual Irishman, it meant survival and hope, and the opportunity for work, freedom, and ownership of land. The early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Galwey: James Galway who settled in New York State in 1803; another two James Galways settled in Pennsylvania, one in 1773 and one in 1846.