Molloy - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Maolmhuaidh
Meaning: “noble chieftain”
Traditional stronghold: Offaly
Pronunciation: mul-OY; Irish Ó Maolmhuaidh: oh mwayl-VOO-ee
History of the Molloy name
Ó Maolmhuaidh derives from muadh, meaning noble or proud, and the O'Molloys were princes of Fir Cheall, a territory covering several baronies of central Offaly around Tullamore and Kilcormac. They claimed descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages through the southern Uí Néill, ranking among the leading Gaelic families of the midlands, and they held their lands with remarkable persistence into the early modern period before the confiscations of the seventeenth century reduced them. A separate family, Ó Maolaoidh of Connacht, was also anglicised Molloy and Mulloy in Roscommon and Mayo. The name is now widespread, remaining most common in Offaly and the west.
Variants: Mulloy · Malloy · O'Molloy
Famous bearers of the name
- Matt Molloy - Roscommon-born flute player with the Bothy Band and The Chieftains, owner of a famous Westport pub.
- M. J. Molloy - Galway playwright of Irish rural life, author of The King of Friday's Men.
- Dearbhla Molloy - Dublin actress of stage and screen with Tony-nominated Broadway work.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Dunne · Carroll · Mooney · Hennessy · Dempsey · Coughlan · Berrigan · Bulfin