Connolly
Ó Conghaile · descendant of Conghal
Connolly is Ó Conghaile in Irish, said oh KUN-a-leh, and means descendant of Conghal.
Conghal means fierce as a hound. In Connemara the same name stayed Conneely, and the family there are said in folklore to be descended from seals, which is why some of them would not eat one.
How it changes
- A man: Ó Conghaile
- His daughter: Ní Chonghaile
- A woman who married into it: Bean Uí Chonghaile
- The family together: Uí Chonghaile
Where it comes from
Galway, Monaghan and Meath
Also spelt
Connolly, Conneely, Connelly, Conley
A name, not a pedigree
This is where the name came from, which is not the same as where you came from. Names were translated, anglicised, taken on by tenants and neighbours, and carried in by settlers who were no relation to the family that started them. To follow your own line, the 1901 and 1911 censuses are free and searchable, and give the county each person was born in.