The surname O'Kildare was first found in Kildare (Irish:Cill Dara), ancient homeland of the Kildare based Uí Dúnlainge (Kings of Leinster), located in the Province of Leinster, where they held a family seat as and descended from the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. This notable Irish clann were descended from Robert Fitzwalter, son of Baron Ortho Geraldino, who attended Strongbow in his invasions of Ireland. The Fitzgeralds divided into two main branches, that of Kildare and the more populous Desmond branch which gave birth to the Earls of Desmond. Irish history, after the Norman Conquest of England, was strongly influenced by the invasion of Strongbow in 1169 onward, almost equal to the enormous Irish cultural impact on EnglandScotland, Wales and the whole of Europe before the Norman Conquest from the 1st to 7th centuries. Many Irish clanns, sept names were intermixed and family groupings became almost indistinguishable. This family name was found later in Kildare where they represented the first recorded reference to the name.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Kildare research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1637 is included under the topic Early O'Kildare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Elenor Kilday, who arrived in New York in 1831; Matthew Kildare, who arrived in Montreal in 1846; Edward Kilday, who arrived in Boston in 1863; Michael Kildare, who settled in New York in 1866.
