Treacy - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Treasaigh
Meaning: “warlike, fierce”
Traditional stronghold: Tipperary, Galway
Pronunciation: TRAY-see; Irish Ó Treasaigh: oh TRASS-ee
History of the Treacy name
Ó Treasaigh comes from treasach, meaning 'warlike' or 'fierce'. Distinct septs of the name arose in Leinster and Connacht: one in County Laois associated with the Slieve Bloom country, and another of the Uí Maine in east Galway, while a third family was found in west Cork. The spellings Treacy, Tracy, Tracey and Treacey are used interchangeably, often within the same family, and the name is now scattered through Munster, south Leinster and east Galway. Its most famous modern bearer, Seán Treacy of the Third Tipperary Brigade, fired some of the opening shots of the War of Independence at Soloheadbeg in January 1919.
Variants: Tracy · Tracey · Treacey
Famous bearers of the name
- Seán Treacy - IRA leader at the Soloheadbeg ambush of 1919, killed in Dublin the following year.
- John Treacy - Waterford athlete, twice world cross-country champion and Olympic marathon silver medallist in 1984.
- Philip Treacy - Galway-born milliner whose hats are worn by royalty and film stars.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · O'Brien · Ryan · Kennedy · Lynch · Connolly · Burke · Clarke