While research into the origin and history of the O’Sullivan name is fairly straight forward, it’s a very different matter for Kealy.

The name is often thought to be a spelling variation of Kelly or sub sept of Kelly, but others claim it is an enirely different name; “although often confused with the much more common Kelly, it in fact had a totally separate origin, being derived from the ancient medieval Gaelic name O’ Caollaidhe“.

My mother, Edna Kealy, would be glad to hear this claim, as I researched the name for her in the late 1990s on the internet and could only find the Kelly origin opinion, much to her disappointment in having such ordinary/common origins.

So, on top of the various spellings (Kealy, Kealey, Keeley, Keily, etc), and the origin of the name (O Caollaidhe, or from Kelly, O Cadhla) is the confusion of the Family Coat of Arms – several different versions can be found on an internet search. The version I’ve posted on the Welcome page is a bit of a guess.

If any Kealy can help clarify this, or just add to the conversion, please contact me or post a comment.