Ó Cadhla is a masculine surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 in the Irish language

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

. The name translates into English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 as "descendant of Cadhla". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form of the surname for unmarried females is Ní Chadhla. The forms for married females are Bean Uí Chadhla and Uí Chadhla. The Irish Ó Cadhla has numerous Anglicised forms.

Etymology

Ó Cadhla translates into English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 as "descendant of Cadhla". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The personal name

Personal name

A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...

 Cadhla means "beautiful", "comely", "graceful".The Oxford English dictionary states the word "quealy"means a high barren place.

Feminine forms

Ó Cadhla is a masculine surname. The form of this Irish surname for unmarried females is Ní Chadhla; this name is actually a contracted form of Iníon Uí Chadhla, which translates into English as "daughter of Ó Cadhla". The form of Ó Cadhla for married females is Bean Uí Chadhla, which translates into English as "wife of Ó Cadhla"; this surname can also be represented in the contracted form Uí Chadhla.

Anglicised forms

According to the early 20th century Irish etymologist Patrick Woulfe, Ó Cadhla has been Anglicised variously as Kiely, Keily, Kealy, Keely, Keeley, Kelly, and Quealy

Quealy

Quealy is a surname in the English language. It is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Cadhla.-People with the surname:*Michael Quealy, former Fine Gael politician in Ireland*Gerit Quealy, American writer, editor, Shakespearean scholar, and actor...

. According to the Irish late 19th century genealogist John O'Hart

John O'Hart

John O'Hart was an Irish genealogist. He was born in Crossmolina, Co. Mayo, Ireland. A committed Roman Catholic, O'Hart originally planned to become Catholic priest but instead spent 2 years as a police officer. He was an Associate in Arts at the Queen's University of Belfast...

, the surnames O'Cawley

O'Cawley

O'Cawley is a surname in the English language. According to John O'Hart, a 19th century Irish genealogist, the surname is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Cadhla. The Irish Ó Cadhla originated as a patronym, meaning "descendant of Cadhla". The masculine personal name Cadhla means "beautiful",...

, MacCawley, and Cawley

Cawley

Cawley is a surname in the English language. There are several different origins of the surname. In some cases the surnames are derived from any of numerous place names in England...

are also Anglicised forms.

Families

According to Patrick Woulfe, the Irish surname is borne by two noted Irish families

Irish clans

Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage based society prior to the 17th century.-History:...

. One family were chiefs of Connemara. The other family were chiefs of Tuath Luimnigh, near the city of Limerick. Woulfe, who wrote in the early 20th century, noted that descendants of both families lived in the Irish provinces

Provinces of Ireland

Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to...

 of Connacht

Connacht

Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...

 and Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

.

See also

• Ó Caollaidhe, a similar Irish-language surname, that is in many cases Anglicised identically to Ó Cadhla