O'Kelly or Kelly is an Irish surname. It derives from the

Kings of Uí Maine Uí Maine was the name of an Irish kingdom situated in south Connacht, consisting of all of County Galway east of Athenry, all of southern and central County Roscommon. In prehistory it was believed to have spanned the River Shannon, and in the 8t ...

. Notable people with the surname include: * Aloysius O'Kelly (1853–1936), Irish painter, brother of James Joseph O'Kelly *

Auguste O'Kelly Auguste O'Kelly (13 July 1829 – 16 February 1900) was a Franco-Irish music publisher in Paris between 1872 and 1888. Life Auguste O'Kelly was born as Louis Auguste Kelly in Boulogne-sur-Mer as the second son of the Dublin-born piano teacher Jose ...

(1829–1900), music publisher in Paris * Christopher O'Kelly (1895–1922), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross *

Don O'Kelly Don O'Kelly ( Donald Patrick Kelly; March 17, 1924 – October 2, 1966) was an American actor prominent in the 1950s and 1960s mostly on television. Though credited as "Don Kelly" in earlier performances, his billing was changed to "Don O ...

(1924–1966), American actor * Edward Peter O'Kelly (1846–1914), Irish politician * Gabriel O'Kelly (died 1731), Irish clergyman * George O'Kelly (1831–1914), Franco-Irish pianist and composer * Henri O'Kelly (1859–1938), Franco-Irish composer, pianist and organist *

James O'Kelly James O'Kelly (1735 – October 16, 1826) was an American clergyman during the Second Great Awakening and an important figure in the early history of Methodism in America. He was also known for his outspoken views on abolitionism, penning the str ...

(1735–1826), American Methodist clergyman *

James Joseph O'Kelly James Joseph O'Kelly (1845 – 22 December 1916) was an Irish nationalist journalist, politician and member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party represented t ...

(1845–1916), Irish politician, brother of Aloysius O'Kelly * John J. O'Kelly (1872–1957), Irish politician *

Joseph O'Kelly Joseph O'Kelly (29 January 1828 – 9 January 1885), composer, pianist and choral conductor, was the most prominent member of a family of Irish musicians in 19th- and early 20th-century France. He wrote nine operas, four cantatas, numerous piano ...

(1828–1885), Franco-Irish composer and pianist *

Malcolm O'Kelly Malcolm O'Kelly (born 19 July 1974) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a Lock (rugby union), lock for Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland and Leinster Rugby, Leinster. O'Kelly was born in Chelmsford, England, and attended ...

(born 1974), Irish rugby player *

Roger Demosthenes O'Kelly Roger Demosthenes O'Kelly (October 25, 1880 – July 11, 1962) was a deaf, mute, partially-blind African-American lawyer. " 'Kellyclaimed the distinction of being the only Negro deaf lawyer in the United States and the second deaf person to grad ...

(1880–1962), African-American lawyer *

Seán T. O'Kelly Seán Thomas O'Kelly (; 25 June 1882 – 23 November 1966), originally John T. O'Kelly, was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the second president of Ireland from June 1945 to June 1959. He also served as deputy prime minister of Ir ...

(1882–1966), Irish politician, second President of Ireland *

Seumas O'Kelly Seumas O'Kelly (1881 – 14 November 1918) was an Irish journalist, fiction writer, and playwright. Born in Loughrea, County Galway, O'Kelly was educated locally and began his career as a journalist with the Cork newspaper ''Southern Star''. ...

(1881–1918), Irish writer

Fictional characters

* Manuel Garcia O'Kelly-Davis, protagonist of

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress ''The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress'' is a 1966 science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein about a lunar colony's revolt against absentee rule from planet Earth. The novel illustrates and discusses libertarian ideals. It is respe ...

by Robert A. Heinlein *

Michael the O'Kelly Paddy Manning O'Brine was an Irish writer of thrillers and television screenplays about whom surprisingly little is known. His date of birth is uncertain: at least one authoritative source gives it as 1915; the dust jacket of his last American pub ...

, hero of seven books by Manning O'Brine * One of the titular families in ''

The Kellys and the O'Kellys ''The Kellys and the O'Kellys'' is a novel by Anthony Trollope. It was written in Ireland and published in 1848. Plot summary The plot centres around a Mr. Francis O’Kelly and family, also known as Lord Ballindine, and his neighbours and di ...

'', the second novel of Anthony Trollope

Fictional characters

See also