Daly
An Irish surname, often explained as meaning “blind,” and strongly associated with the old bardic O’Daly families.
The #1,118 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,855 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Daly is usually treated as an Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh, the name of a prominent Gaelic learned family. The personal name Dálach is commonly connected with Irish dal, meaning “blind,” though some older writers offered other explanations or treated the surname as a hereditary clan name first and a nickname only by origin. In English records, the spelling was often simplified to Daly, with related forms such as O'Daly and Daily.
History
The O’Dalys were famous in medieval Ireland as hereditary poets and chroniclers, especially in Munster and Westmeath. English-language records later spread the surname widely, and it became common both in Ireland and in Irish diaspora communities. Some English and Scottish surnames that look similar, such as Daily or Daley, were sometimes folded into the same spelling tradition.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The O’Daly family was traditionally linked not just with poetry, but with the role of chroniclers or court historians to Irish chiefs.
From the historical record
“were of ancient standing in Lancashire. DALY. "This family claim descent from ISTiall of the Nine Hostages, one of the most illustrious of the Irish kings. The sept extended itself at a very remote period over Munster and Connaught, as well as in the barony of Clonlonan, co. Westmeath ; and through the long lapse…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom