Slattery - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Slatara
Meaning: “strong, bold”
Traditional stronghold: Clare, Tipperary
Pronunciation: SLAT-er-ee; Irish Ó Slatara: oh SLAT-a-ra
History of the Slattery name
Ó Slatara, also Ó Slatraigh, comes from slatra, meaning 'bold' or 'strong'. The sept originated in east Clare, where the townland of Ballyslattery near Tulla preserves their name and marks their ancestral territory. From Clare the family spread naturally into Limerick, Tipperary and Kerry, and the name has remained an emphatically Munster one ever since; it never developed the scattered branches typical of larger septs. Slatterys emigrated in strength during the nineteenth century, and the name became well established in America, Australia and Britain while staying rooted in its original corner of Thomond.
Variants: O'Slattery · Slattary
Famous bearers of the name
- Fergus Slattery - Ireland and Lions flanker, one of the great openside forwards of rugby.
- Michael Slattery - Nineteenth-century Archbishop of Cashel and founder of St Patrick's College, Thurles.
- John Slattery - American actor of Irish descent, famed for Mad Men.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Brien · Ryan · Kennedy · Quinn · McDonnell · McMahon · Carroll · Boland