O'Malley
An Irish surname meaning “descendant of the devotee of St. Malachy.”
The #2,046 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,554 Americans shares it.
Etymology
O'Malley comes from the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Máille. The prefix Ó means “descendant of,” and Máille is generally taken as a personal name or byname linked to the root meaning “devotee” or “chief,” though the exact sense has been debated. In practice, the name is usually explained as “descendant of Máille.”
History
The O'Malleys were a notable western Irish family, especially associated with County Mayo and the Connacht coast. In English records the name often lost its apostrophe and became Malley, Mally, or Omalley. One famous bearer was Grace O'Malley, the 16th-century Irish sea captain and clan leader known as the “Pirate Queen.”
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Grace O'Malley is one of the best-known figures in Irish history and helped make the surname famous far beyond Ireland.