Contents [hide]

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

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Sources

Kelley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

Etymology of Kelley

What does the name Kelley mean?

The Irish name Kelley has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Kelley is Ó Ceallaigh or Mac Ceallaigh. These names denote descendants of Ceallach. This personal name may be derived from the word "ceallach," which means "strife." 1

Early Origins of the Kelley family

The surname Kelley was first found in southwest Ireland, south of Dublin where they held a family seat from very ancient times. The Kelly surname is conjecturally descended from King Colla da Crioch, who died in 357 A.D.

While most of the family claim Ireland as their heritage, we did find one reference in England: "Kelly, [Devon] is noteworthy as affording one of the few continuing local instances of families seated on the estates whence they take name. The Kellys of Kelly have held this manor from the time of Henry II. at least. " 2

Henry II, King of England reigned from 1154 to 1189; so one may presume there is a relationship between the Irish and the English families, but this is the extent of our research at this time.

Early History of the Kelley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kelley research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1238, 1253, 1518, 1555, 1597, 1621, 1690, 1695, 1699 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Kelley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kelley Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Kelley were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Kelly, Kellie, O'Kelly, O'Killia and others.

Early Notables of the Kelley family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot (1555-1597), Irish occultist and self-declared spirit medium

Kelley Ranking

In the United States, the name Kelley is the 198^th most popular surname with an estimated 129,324 people with that name. 3

Kelley migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Kelley family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Kelley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Brian Kelley, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 4
Bryan Kelley, who landed in Maryland in 1635 4
Ailce Kelley, who landed in Virginia in 1651 4
Elizabeth Kelley, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 4

Kelley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David Kelley, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 4
Owen Kelley, who landed in Virginia in 1703 4
Morris Kelley, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4
Neile Kelley, who arrived in Virginia in 1723 4
William Kelley, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1763 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kelley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Walter Kelley, who landed in America in 1801 4
Phillip Kelley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 4
Catherine Kelley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 4
Andrew Kelley, aged 25, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 4
John Kelley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kelley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kelley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Eunice Kelley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mary Kelley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Kelley Samuel U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 5
Mr. Kelley William U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Port Matoon Association 5

Kelley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Kelley, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Breeze" from Dublin, Ireland

Kelley migration to Australia +

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

Kelley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Ann Kelley, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mr. Thomas Kelley, British Convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Miss Ann Kelley who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales 8
James Kelley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 9
Mr. Thomas Kelley, (Terence), British Convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kelley 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:

Kelley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. J. Kelley, Australian settler travelling from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia aboard the ship "Bee" arriving in New Zealand in 1831 11
E. Kelley, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 12
J. Kelley, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 12
D. Kelley, Scottish settler with 4 children travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 12
Mr. James Kelley, (b. 1818), aged 65, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Westland" arriving in Nelson, North Island, New Zealand in 1883 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Kelley (post 1700) +

William Melvin Kelley (1937-2017), prominent American novelist and short-story writer, awarded the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008
Frank Joseph Kelley (1924-2021), American politician, 50th Attorney General of the U.S. state of Michigan (1961-1999)
John Henry "Jack" Kelley (1927-2020), American ice hockey coach, inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
Allen Charles Kelley (1937-2017), American economist from Everett, Washington, James B. Duke Professor of Economics at Duke University
Gorden Bond Kelley (1938-2015), American NFL football linebacker who played from 1960 to 1965
Earl Allen Kelley (1932-2016), American gold medalist basketball player at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Thomas Henry Kelley (1944-2015), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
Shawn Andrew Kelley (b. 1984), American Major League Baseball relief pitcher
Kitty Kelley (b. 1942), American journalist and author
Michael "Mike" Kelley (1954-2012), American artist
... (Another 206 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kelley family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Bruce K. Kelley, American Lieutenant Commander working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 13
Mr. James Dennis Kelley, American Shipfitter Third Class from Oklahoma, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 13

The Kelley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Turris Fortis Mihi Deus
Motto Translation: God is a strong tower to me.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Navarino.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html