Buckley - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Buachalla
Meaning: “boy, herdsman”
Traditional stronghold: Cork
Pronunciation: BUCK-lee; Irish Ó Buachalla: oh BOO-uh-khul-ah
History of the Buckley name
Ó Buachalla derives from buachaill, meaning 'boy' or 'herdsman'. The sept originated in the Munster region and the name became overwhelmingly associated with Co. Cork, where it is today among the half-dozen most common surnames; Tipperary and Kerry also have many Buckleys. The name was anglicised early to the English-looking Buckley, which masks its Gaelic origin. Emigration made it a familiar name in Britain and especially America. Domhnall Ua Buachalla of Maynooth, a 1916 veteran, was appointed Governor-General of the Irish Free State in 1932 precisely to let de Valera empty the office of ceremony, a curious footnote in the dismantling of the Treaty settlement.
Variants: Ó Buachalla · Buckly · Bohilly
Famous bearers of the name
- Domhnall Ua Buachalla - Maynooth shopkeeper and 1916 veteran who served as the last Governor-General of the Irish Free State.
- William F. Buckley Jr. - American conservative author and founder of National Review, grandson of a Cork emigrant.
- Timothy Buckley - The Tailor of Gougane Barra, whose talk fills the once-banned classic The Tailor and Ansty.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Murphy · O'Sullivan · McCarthy · Daly · Collins · Flynn · Healy · Casey