Quilly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Quilly

What does the name Quilly mean?

In Ireland, the name Quilly is generally derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Choiligh," which means "son of the cock or rooster;" the name was often Anglicized as Cox.

Early Origins of the Quilly family

The surname Quilly was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Quilly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quilly research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1558, 1650, 1675, 1733, 1770 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Quilly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quilly Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Quilly family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including MacQuilly, McQuilly, MacQuilley, McQuilly, MacQuillie, McQuillie, Quilley, Quilly, Quillie, Cox, Coxe and many more.

Early Notables of the Quilly family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Quilly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Quilly family

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many Quillys: William McQuillie who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804; Thomas Cox, who arrived in New York, NY in 1805; Andrew Cox, who arrived in Quebec in 1850.

The Quilly 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: Fide et fortitudine
Motto Translation: By fidelity and fortitude.