O'Grady - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Grádaigh
Meaning: “illustrious, noble”
Traditional stronghold: Clare, Limerick
Pronunciation: oh-GRAY-dee; Irish O Gradaigh: oh GRAH-dig
History of the O'Grady name
O'Grady derives from O Gradaigh, 'descendant of Gradach', a name thought to relate to graidh, love or affection, or possibly to illustriousness. The family were an old Dalcassian sept based around Tuamgraney in east County Clare, closely linked to the O'Brien kings of Thomond, and a branch also held significant lands in County Limerick around Kilballyowen. Members of the family served as hereditary brehons, the traditional judges of Gaelic law, giving the name a long association with learning and legal scholarship as well as lordship. O'Grady survived the Elizabethan and Cromwellian confiscations better than many Gaelic names, with the family retaining estates into later centuries.
Variants: Grady · O'Gready
Famous bearers of the name
- Standish O'Grady - Nineteenth-century historian and writer whose retellings of Irish myth helped inspire the Irish Literary Revival
- Desmond O'Grady - Irish poet associated with the Beat and modernist literary circles of Rome and Paris
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Brien · Ryan · Kennedy · Quinn · Collins · Fitzgerald · McDonnell · McMahon