''Ó Cadhla'' is a masculine surname in the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

. The name translates into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as "descendant of ''Cadhla''". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form of the surname for unmarried females is ''Ní Chadhla''. The forms for married females are ''Bean Uí Chadhla'' and ''Uí Chadhla''. The Irish ''Ó Cadhla'' has numerous Anglicised forms.

Etymology

''Ó Cadhla'' translates into

as "descendant of ''Cadhla''". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The personal name ''Cadhla'' means "beautiful", "comely", "graceful".

Feminine forms

''Ó Cadhla'' is a masculine surname. The form of this Irish surname for unmarried females is ''Ní Chadhla''; this name is actually a contracted form of ''Iníon Uí Chadhla'', which translates into English as "daughter of ''Ó Cadhla''". The form of ''Ó Cadhla'' for married females is ''Bean Uí Chadhla'', which translates into English as "wife of ''Ó Cadhla''"; this surname can also be represented in the contracted form ''Uí Chadhla''.

Anglicised forms

According to the early 20th century Irish etymologist Patrick Woulfe, ''Ó Cadhla'' has been Anglicised variously as '' Kiely'', ''Keily'', ''Kealy'', ''Kieley'',''

Keely As a surname: *Conrad Keely, American rock music singer *Dermot Keely, Irish professional football player and manager *John Ernst Worrell Keely (1827–1898), American inventor; invented the Keely Motor * Patrick Keely (fl. early 20th century), Am ...

'', '' Keeley'', ''

Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

'', and ''

Quealy Quealy or Quealey is a surname in the English language. It is derived from one of several names in Irish: '' Ó Cadhla'' which is a transcription of: and ''Ua Caollaidhe'' of Uí Bercháin (Ibercon) in Osraige. Notable people with the surname ...

''. which is a transcription of: According to the Irish late 19th century

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

John O'Hart John O'Hart (1824–1902) was an Irish genealogist. He was born in Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland. A committed Roman Catholic and Irish nationalist, O'Hart had originally planned to become a priest but instead spent two years as a poli ...

, the surnames '' O'Cawley'', '' MacCawley'', and '' Cawley'' are also Anglicised forms. which is a transcription of:

Families

According to Patrick Woulfe, the Irish surname is borne by two noted

Irish families Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. One family were Chiefs of

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

. The other family were chiefs of Tuath Luimnigh, near the city of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. Woulfe noted that descendants of both families lived in the Irish provinces of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

and Munster.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O Cadhla Surnames Irish families Surnames of Irish origin Irish-language surnames Irish-language masculine surnames Patronymic surnames

Etymology

Feminine forms

Anglicised forms

Families

See also

References