Geraghty
An Irish surname, usually anglicized from a Gaelic clan name, with several historical spellings including Gearty and Gerrity.
The #9,384 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,104 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Geraghty is an anglicized Irish surname. The historical forms listed by Woulfe suggest it belongs to a Gaelic family name later rendered in English in several ways, including Geraty, Gerity, Gearty, and Gerrity. The exact underlying Gaelic form is not securely established from these excerpts alone, but the name is clearly of Irish Gaelic origin and belongs to the common Irish pattern of surnames adapted into English spellings.
History
The name is well attested in Ireland and appears in nineteenth-century surname studies in several counties and spellings. In the early twentieth century it was already recognized as a fairly established Irish surname, with variant forms circulating in records and usage. It is also found among Irish diaspora communities, especially in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because English clerks often wrote Irish names phonetically, Geraghty developed a surprisingly wide family of spellings that can all refer to closely related branches of the same surname.
From the historical record
“Mageraghty, MacGerety, Mac Gerrity, Geraghty, Geraty, Gerety, Gerity, Gearty, Gerty, etc. inA5 Oifhi, MacCushion.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames