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

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Haley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Haley

What does the name Haley mean?

While many Irish names are quite familiar to us, their original Gaelic forms are often forgotten and mysterious. The original Gaelic form of the name Haley is Ó hEalaighthe, which is derived from the word "ealadhach," which means "ingenious." Another Gaelic form of the surname is Ó hEilidhe, which is derived from the word "eilidhe," which means "claimant." 1

Early Origins of the Haley family

The surname Haley was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Haley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haley research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1309, 1579, 1656, 1690, 1695, 1701, 1724, 1741, 1794 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Haley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haley Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages, a name was often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer. Literacy was rare at that time and none of the languages to be found in the British Isles had achieved any great semblance of standardization. Variations of the name Haley found include Haly, Haley, Haily, Hely, Healy, Healey, O'Healey, O'Haly and many more.

Early Notables of the Haley family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Edmond (Edmund) Halley, FRS (1656-1741), an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist who is best known for computing the orbit of the eponymous Halley's Comet. He was born in Haggerston, in east London, but his family came from Derbyshire.Patrick O'Healy, was a Franciscan Bishop of Mayo...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Haley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haley Ranking

In the United States, the name Haley is the 750^th most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 2

Haley migration to the United States +

Irish families began to migrate to North America in the late 18th century in the hopes of gaining their own plot of land. The majority of these early immigrant families were relatively well off because the transatlantic passage was costly. As a result the decision to immigrate was carefully made. Those immigrants that arrived in the late 1840s differed because their decision to leave was in direct response to the Great Potato Famine. Many of the families that crossed the Atlantic during this decade were destitute, either having spent all they had on the fare or even starting with nothing, but being sponsored by a philanthropic society. Whenever, these Irish families came to North America, they were made great contributions to the developing nations of the United States and what would come to be known as Canada: the earlier settlers as land clearing homesteaders, and the later immigrants as the muscle that would build the industries and routes of transportation so critical to a powerful nation. Research into the passenger and immigration lists has shown many early and significant Irish immigrants bearing the name Haley:

Haley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Haley, and his wife, who were on record in Virginia in 1654
Derby Haley, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1685 3
Morris Haley, who landed in Virginia in 1699 3

Haley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joshua Haley, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
Daniel Haley, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
Joseph Haley, who landed in New York, NY in 1749 3
Jeremiah Haley, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1765 3
Richard Haley, who arrived in America in 1765 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J D Haley, aged 40, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1838 3
Rodger Haley, who landed in New York in 1845 3
Salisbury Haley, aged 40, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1846 3
Bridget Haley, who landed in New York in 1846 3
Capt. Haley, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Haley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierce Haley, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
Pierce George Haley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Thomas Haley, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1750
Ann Haley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
John Haley, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Joanna Haley, who arrived in Nava Sootia in 1831
Timothy Haley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1833
Michael Haley, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Reward" from Cork, Ireland
Mary Haley, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
Patrick Haley, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Cupid" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Charles Haley, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Haley migration to Australia +

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

Haley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Dennis Haley, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Jeremiah Haley, (b. 1790), aged 29, Irish brick layer from Kilkenny who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. John Haley, (Hawley), English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. William Haley, (Medmer), English stock man who was convicted in Kent, England for 14 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Miss Mary Ann Haley, English Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atwick" on 28 September 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haley 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:

Haley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Haley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "May Queen" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th November 1874 9
Mr. Haley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "May Queen" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th November 1874 9
William Haley, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Haley (post 1700) +

Alexander Murray Palmer "Alex" Haley (1921-1992), American writer, best known for his book Roots: The Saga of an American Family, for which he was awarded a special citation in 1977 by the Pulitzer Prize board
Nimrata Nikki Randhawa "Nikki" Haley (b. 1972), American politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina (2011-2017), 29th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2017-2018)
George Richard "Dick" Haley Jr. (1937-2023), American NFL football cornerback for the Washington Redskins, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1959-1964)
Roddie Haley (1964-2022), American sprinter at the 1987 Pan American Games and 1987 World Championships, winning gold medals at both events
Matt Haley (b. 1970), American film director, art director and book illustrator artist
Fred "James" Haley (b. 1880), American Major League Baseball catcher for the Troy Trojans in 1880
James Andrew Haley (1899-1981), American politician, U.S. Representative from Florida
Linda Georgina "Gina" Haley (b. 1975), Mexican-born, American singer-songwriter, youngest child of the rock and roller Bill Haley
Harold Joseph Haley (1904-1970), American Superior Court judge who was murdered during a hostage incident in his courtroom
George T. Haley, American author and academic
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Haley family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Leslie James Haley, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 10

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atwick
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html