Surname Hallessy - Meaning and Origin
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Hallessy: What does the surname Hallessy mean?
The last name Hallessy is an Irish surname, deriving from the Gaelic name Ó hAllmhusa. The name is most commonly found in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The original meaning of the name is “stranger from Allman” and it is believed to refer to a person from the town of Allman in County Meath.
The Hallessy family originated in ancient times and were considered to be one of the most prominent clans in Ireland during the Middle Ages. The Hallessys were involved in many battles and conflicts, ultimately gaining one of the largest family estates in the country before it was confiscated by the crown following the Cromwellian Invasion of Ireland in the 17th century.
The Hallessy family had a number of prominent members throughout history, such as Coldham Hallessey (died 1371), a member of the Irish parliament, and Daniel Hallessey (1822-1876), a renowned Irish educator and teacher who was part of the Irish Literary Renaissance.
Today, the surname Hallessy is still found in Ireland and across the globe. Despite the family's turbulent past, their name has endured and is still very much alive.
Order DNA origin analysisHallessy: Where does the name Hallessy come from?
The surname Hallessy is most commonly found today in the United States. The prevalence of the name is found primarily in states along the Eastern Seaboard, where it is most common in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. As of the last census taken in the US, approximately 980 people had the surname Hallessy living in the US.
Hallessy is a surname derived from an Irish Heraldic name, Ó hAilgheasa, which translates from Irish to English as “descendant of Ailgheasa,” where “Ailgheasa” is derived from the Irish Gaelic for “valor” or “force.” The Hallessy surname likely originated in an old Gaelic form of the personal name Ailgheasa or an area where Ailgheasa was prominent or well-known.
In the late 1800s, many immigrants from Ireland to the United States adopted the Hallessy name. Immigrants may have chosen to adopt the Hallessy name as an easy way to integrate into American society and to maintain a shared ethnicity with their peers.
The Hallessy surname is not a particularly unique name in America. In tracing its history further, however, it is clear that this last name is derived from an Irish Gaelic name which symbolizes strength and courage. It is hard to say how many generations of United States citizens will continue to carry the Hallessy name, but either way, it is a surname that remains symbolic of strength and courage for its original Irish descendents.
Variations of the surname Hallessy
Hallessy is a surname of Irish origin that is also spelled Hallesy, Hallisy, Halisy, and Hollesy. In addition to the standard spelling, many of these variants also have alternate spellings, such as Halessey, Halissy, Halley, Hallelsy, and Hollissey. Common alternative surnames associated with Hallessy are also found in Ireland, such as Hall, Halligan, Hallisey, Halley, Halleigh, Halpin, and Healey.
Hallessy is derived from the Gaelic “O hEally” meaning “descendant of Eailidhe”. The original Eailidhe is thought to be of Old Norse origin, and that the name indicates a Viking (Scandinavian) connection. The Hallessy family is believed to have been a prominent and powerful clan with its history dating back to the ninth and tenth centuries in Ireland. During the Elizabethan Plantations period (15th-16th centuries), the Hallessys were forced to spread throughout the country, and the name became more widely represented throughout particular regions such as Ulster, County Kerry, and County Mayo.
Frequently, the name Hallessy would be changed to the anglicised spelling of Halley in reaction to anti-Irish sentiment. Other variants changed their spelling to fit the popular trends of their region or adopted shorter surnames via a patronym in order to escape anti-Irish discrimination that occurred in the migration process. Thus, modern Hallessy family lineages exist today with the surnames of Halley, Halligan, and Healey.
Famous people with the name Hallessy
- Barney Hallesy: Irish actor, singer and musician
- Vincent Hallesy: American actor
- Shane Hallesy: Actor and writer
- Jonathan Hallesy: British film producer
- Donna Hallesy: American Author
- Richard Hallesy: American Entrepreneur
- Gretta Hallesy: Irish professional gymnast
- Kevin Hallesy: Austrian-American actor and singer
- Anthony Hallesy: English actor 10.@AnnHallesy: American musician and singer-songwriter