O'Dea History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of O'Dea

What does the name O'Dea mean?

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name O'Dea originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Deaghaidh or Ó Diaghaidh. 1

Early Origins of the O'Dea family

The surname O'Dea was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where O'Dea was chief of Dysart-O'Dea, now the parish of Dysart, barony of Inchiquin, one of the original chiefs and clans of ancient Thomond. Today Dysert O'Dea Castle still stands near Corofin, County Clare with its Romanesque Doorway and High Cross and was the site of the Battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318. It was here that the Irish chieftain Conor O'Dea, chief of the Cineal Fearmaic and ally of Murtough O'Brien, stood his ground only to be defeated by the invading forces from Scotland.

Early History of the O'Dea family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Dea research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1318 and 1434 are included under the topic Early O'Dea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Dea 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 Day, Dea, O'Dea and others.

Early Notables of the O'Dea family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Most Rev. Thomas O'Dea

O'Dea Ranking

In the United States, the name O'Dea is the 11,989^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

O'Dea migration to Australia +

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

O'Dea Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James O'Dea, British convict who was convicted in Guernsey for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Daniel O'Dea, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Cheapside" 4
John O'Dea, aged 37, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Constance" 5
Mary O'Dea, aged 38, a dairy maid, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Duke of Wellington" 6
John O'Dea, aged 14, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Duke of Wellington" 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

O'Dea 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:

O'Dea Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edmond O'Dea, aged 18, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name O'Dea (post 1700) +

John O'Dea (1839-1905), Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863
Edward John O'Dea (1856-1932), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Seattle (1896-1932)
Kevin O'Dea (b. 1960), American NFL football coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Paul O'Dea (1920-1978), American Major League Baseball player, manager and scout
Patrick John "Kangaroo Kicker" O'Dea (1872-1962), Australian rules and American football player and coach, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1962
James Kenneth "Ken" O'Dea (1913-1985), American Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1935 to 1946, one of the best defensive catchers in Major League Baseball
Judith O'Dea (b. 1945), American actress, best known for her role as Barbra in the Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Marcus O'Dea (1897-1961), American physicist
Patrick John O'Dea (1872-1962), American college football coach at Missouri and Notre Dame
Mick O'Dea (b. 1958), Irish portrait and landscape artist
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CHEAPSIDE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cheapside.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constance.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm