Leahy is an Irish surname, originating in

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

, and now found in counties

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary. It is usually an anglicised form of 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 ...

surname ''Ó Laochdha'' ("descendant of Laochdha"), which ultimately derives from Old Irish ''láechda'', ''láech'' ("warrior-like, pertaining to a warrior") and appears as a personal sobriquet at least as early as the

Book of Lismore The Book of Lismore, also known as the Book of Mac Carthaigh Riabhach, is a late fifteenth-century Gaelic manuscript that was created at Kilbrittain in County Cork, Ireland, for Fínghean Mac Carthaigh, Lord of Carbery (1478–1505). Defective ...

(circa 1408–11). However, Leahy may also represent an anglicisation of less common names, including ''Mac Fhlaithimh'' and ''Ó Flaithimh'', ''Mac an Leagha'', ''Ó Leathaigh'', ''Ó Liathaigh'', ''Ó Líthe'', ''Ó Laidhe'', ''Ó Laidhigh'', ''Ó Laithimh'', ''Ó'Lathaigh'', ''Ó Laithmhe'', ''Ó Laochdha'', ''Ó Laoi'', ''Ó Laoidhigh'', or ''Ó Laoithe''.Irish Surname Index, ''Leahy''
/ref> Not to be confused with Lahey which means "Ruler" and is a separate family lineage. Other anglicised forms of the name include Leahey, Lahy, Leehy, Leehey, Lahaie, Lahaye, Lehait, Claffey, Laffey, and Lee.

Notable bearers of the name

Ann Leahy Ann Leahy (born 8 August 1971) is an Australian politician. She has been the Liberal National Party member for Warrego in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015. Prior to her pre-selection for Warrego by the Liberal National Party, Le ...

(born 1971), Australian politician *

Bernie Leahy Bernard Phillip "Bernie" Leahy (August 15, 1908 – March 12, 1978) was an American football halfback who played one season with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He attended St. Mel High School (Chicago, Illinois) and played ...

(1908-1978), American footballer. *

Con Leahy Cornelius "Con" Leahy (27 April 1876 – 18 December 1921) was an Irish athlete, who won medals at the 1906 Intercalated Games and the 1908 Olympic Games for Great Britain. Biography Leahy was born in Creggane, outside Bruree, on the Coun ...

(1880–1921), Irish athlete *

Edward Daniel Leahy Edward Daniel Leahy (1797 – 9 February 1875) was an Irish portrait and subject painter. He was trained in Dublin, where he began his career before establishing himself in London. Biography According to Walter Strickland's ''Dictionary of Irish ...

(1797–1875), Irish painter *

Edward L. Leahy Edward Lawrence Leahy (February 9, 1886 – July 22, 1953) was an American attorney serving as United States Senator from Rhode Island and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Educ ...

(1886–1953), United States Senator *

Emmett Leahy Emmett Joseph Leahy (December 24, 1910 – June 23, 1964) was an American archivist and entrepreneur. He was a pioneer in the discipline of records management. After working in the National Archives and then during World War II in the United St ...

(1910–1964), American archivist and entrepreneur *

Frank Lahey Frank Howard Lahey MD (June 1, 1880, Haverhill, Massachusetts – June 17, 1953, Boston, Massachusetts), was a physician who founded the Lahey Clinic in Boston in 1923. Lahey was nationally known in the U.S. medical profession, not only as a world ...

(1880–1953), surgeon, medical educator, and founder of Boston's

Lahey Clinic The Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, formerly known as the Lahey Clinic, is a physician-led nonprofit teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The hospital was founded in Boston in 1923 by sur ...

* Frank Leahy (1908–1973), American football player and coach, athletics administrator and sports executive *

Georgie Leahy Seán "Georgie" Leahy (1938 – 6 June 2017) was an Irish hurling manager, coach, selector and player. His league and championship career with the Kilkenny senior team lasted just one season from 1970 until 1971. Leahy first played competiti ...

(1938–2017), Irish hurling manager, coach, selector and player *

Grainne Leahy Grainne Maire Leahy O'Brien (born 2 August 1966 in Dublin) is an Irish international cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at e ...

(born 1966), Irish cricketer * Sir John Leahy (diplomat) (1928–2015), British diplomat * John Leahy (executive) (born 1950), American businessman, executive at Airbus * John Leahy (born 1969), former Irish hurler * John O'Lahy (executed 5 Jul 1581), sailor, and one of the Wexford Martyrs * Kevin Leahy (disambiguation) *

Kristine Leahy Kristine Leahy (born October 16, 1986) is an American television host and former sports reporter. She is most known as a former host on NBC's ''American Ninja Warrior''. She is the former co-host and newswoman of Fox Sports 1's simulcast of ''The ...

(born 1986), American television host and former sports reporter *

Luke Leahy Luke Leahy (born 19 November 1992) is an English footballer, who plays as a defender or midfielder for Shrewsbury Town. He started his career at Rugby Town and signed for Falkirk in 2012, where he played for five seasons. Club career Leahy ...

(born 1992), English footballer *

Margaret Leahy Margaret Leahy (17 August 1902 – 17 February 1967) was a British actress. After winning a beauty contest, Leahy made only one film. Life and film career In 1922, sisters Constance Talmadge and Norma Talmadge, Joseph Schenck and film directo ...

(1902–1967), British actress * Michael Leahy (disambiguation) * Patrick Leahy (disambiguation) *

Peter Leahy Lieutenant General Peter Francis Leahy, (born 30 October 1952) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army, whose military career culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Army from 2002 until 2008. He has been director of the N ...

(born 1952), Chief of the Australian Army *

Sean Leahy Sean Leahy (born 1958) is an Australian cartoonist working for the '' Courier Mail'' in Brisbane, Australia. He draws political cartoons for the paper, and also his own comic strip, ''Beyond the Black Stump'', which is distributed in Australia. ...

(born 1958), Australian cartoonist * Sir

Terry Leahy Sir Terence Patrick "Terry" Leahy (born 28 February 1956) is a British businessman, previously the CEO of Tesco, the largest British retailer and the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues. He now lives in Cuffley, Hertfordsh ...

(born 1956), English businessman * Tom Leahy (1888–1964), Australian rules footballer *

William D. Leahy William Daniel Leahy () (May 6, 1875 – July 20, 1959) was an American naval officer who served as the most senior United States military officer on active duty during World War II. He held multiple titles and was at the center of all major ...

(1875–1959), American naval officer and ambassador *

William Harrington Leahy William Harrington Leahy (October 27, 1904 – May 12, 1986) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, and the son of William D. Leahy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's military chief of staff during World War II. Biography Leahy was born ...

(1904–1986), United States Navy admiral *

William P. Leahy William P. Leahy (born 1948) is the 25th President of Boston College, a post he has held since 1996, making him the longest serving president in the school's history as of July 31, 2020. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and raised in Imogene, Io ...

(born 1948), President of Boston College

References

{{Reflist Surnames Anglicised Irish-language surnames Surnames of Irish origin

Notable bearers of the name

See also

References