Laley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Laley

The original Gaelic form of Laley was "O Maolalaidh," which may be derived from "aladh," which means "speckled."

Early Origins of the Laley family

Early History of the Laley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laley research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1558, 1572, 1595, 1691, 1702 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Laley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laley Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Laley 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. Lally, Lalley, Mulally, O'Mulally, O'Lally and others.

Early Notables of the Laley family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was William O'Mullaly, Dean of Tuam (1558-1572) and Archbishop of Tuam (1572-1595); Thomas Arthur Lally, Count Lally, Commander in Chief...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Laley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Laley family

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Laley family in North America: John Lally settled in Virginia in 1764; Patrick, James, John, Michael and William Lally all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.