Garrity
An Anglicized Irish surname usually linked to Mac/Ó forms behind names like Garity and McGarrity.
The #4,914 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,145 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical sources connect Garrity with Irish forms such as MacGarrity, Magarrity, and Garity, suggesting it is an Anglicized surname built on an earlier Gaelic personal name. The exact Gaelic source is not settled in the excerpts, but the name is generally treated as a variant of the Garrett/Gearóid family of surnames, ultimately going back to Gerard, meaning roughly ‘spear-hard’ or ‘brave with the spear.’ In practice, Garrity is often explained as a spelling developed from Irish patronymic forms rather than as an independent English surname.
History
The name appears in Irish surname tradition in several spellings, and the sources show it grouped with Magarrity and MacGarrity as well as Garity. It has been carried into English-language records through Irish immigration, which helped stabilize the simplified spelling Garrity in North America and Britain. Because 19th-century authorities sometimes grouped similar names loosely, the older literature should be read as suggestive rather than definitive.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries often filed Garrity alongside Garrett and Garret-related names, reflecting how closely Irish and English spellings could blend in record books.
From the historical record
“Elroy Garrity Elvaine Glashan”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom