O'Clancy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of O'Clancy

What does the name O'Clancy mean?

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name O'Clancy originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Fhlannchaidh. The exact meaning of this name is undetermined; it can be translated as "son of Fhlannchadh," where "flann" means "reddish" or "ruddy." However, whether "caidh" denotes warrior as has been asserted is unknown.

Early Origins of the O'Clancy family

The surname O'Clancy was first found in Counties Clare and Leitrim. The more important of the two MacClancy septs were a branch of the MacNamaras and were from the north of County Clare, where they gave their name to Cathermacclancy. They traced their lineage from the Heber kings, and provided hereditary brehons (judges) to the O'Briens. They were most numerous in County Clare and the neighboring counties of Galway and Tipperary. The other sept of MacClancys were indigenous to Leitrim, and were Chiefs of Darty or Rosclogher. 1

Early History of the O'Clancy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Clancy research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Clancy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Clancy Spelling Variations

The spelling of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was rarely consistent. This inconsistency was due to the scribes and church officials' attempts to record orally defined names in writing. The common practice of recording names as they sounded resulted in spelling variations such as Clancy, Clancey, Clanchey, Clanchy, Clansey and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Clancy family

More information is included under the topic Early O'Clancy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the O'Clancy family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name O'Clancy: Cornelius Clancey who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his wife and servants; Richard Clanchy settled in New York with his wife and eight children in 1820.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)