Surname Callery - Meaning and Origin
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Callery: What does the surname Callery mean?
The surname Callery is of Irish descent and has several possible origin stories. The most commonly accepted origin traces the name back to the eleventh century in County Mayo, where the O Calleeres were one of the families considered to be part of the ancient Irish O'Connor dynasty. The name is likely derived from the Gaelic phrase “Calg Herigh”, meaning "valiant warrior". However, some sources claim that the name is derived from the Norman-French word “caler” which means “to retire” or “to withdraw”.
The Callery family were likely members of the Gaelic society of old Ireland, as evidenced by the fact that the surname remains most common in the four main provinces in which Gaelic was originally spoken—Ulster, Connacht, Munster, and Leinster. Today, Callery is a fairly rare surname, with the highest concentrations of the name found in County Mayo and Roscommon in the Republic of Ireland, as well as in Westmeath, Cavan, Dublin, and Galway.
The family seems to have had a rather adventurous history, as they were known to have traveled to many other countries, where they quickly adopted the local language and culture. As a result of their travels, the Callery family can now be found in countries such as England, Scotland, Wales, the United States, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.
Order DNA origin analysisCallery: Where does the name Callery come from?
The Callery surname is most commonly found in Ireland and the United States. In the United States, Callery comes from two distinct geographic locations. The first is the Pennsylvania/Maryland region, where the surname was brought to the area by Irish immigrants in the mid-1700s. The other is the New England area, where a couple with the last name Callery was part of the original Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. The Callery name in Ireland can be traced back to a 12th century Anglo-Norman family that settled in Co. Wexford before spreading to into counties Limerick, Kilkenny, and Cork.
In more recent times, the surname has spread further around the world. In the Americas, the name is commonly found in parts of Canada, Mexico and South America. In Europe, the name is found in England, Wales, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, and Spain. Other countries with a significant presence of the Callery name include Australia, New Zealand, and India.
The Callery name is most often associated with Irish-American communities, although the name cannot be solely attributed to any one nationality or ethnicity. The Callery name is a reflection of immigration and the coming together of different individuals and their respective cultures. For these reasons, the Callery name will continue to exist and remain in many parts of the world.
Variations of the surname Callery
The variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Callery include Callery, Calery, Callary, Caillar(y), Callar(y), Calar(y), Caillaire, Caillarath, Callaire, Chalare, Chalary, Challary, Challer(y), Challor(e), Challory, Calury, and Calllory.
Callery is an Irish surname with both source known and unknown origins. The original English variant of the name is 'Caller' or perhaps 'Calar'. The Gaelic phrase 'Cailler', which was also given to certain families, translates to a rocky place.
The Callery surname is very common in Ireland, especially in certain parts of Ulster, and is the anglicized version of slightly different Gaelic surnames such as MacCallraighe, MacCalrach, McCallragh, MacCallray, and O'Callraghan. The presence of the Mac- prefix implies that the surname was a patronymic one, while the O'- prefix indicates that the name was derived from a Chieftain's first name.
The early origin of the name can be traced as far back as the early 12th century when the O'Callraghan's were the chiefs of the Tullyhogue area in County Tyrone. The spelling and pronunciation of the surname has varied over the years, as evidenced in the various variants mentioned above.
Famous people with the name Callery
- Alice Munro Callery: American folk music scholar, ethnomusicologist, and writer.
- Paul Callery: Irish Times journalist.
- Thomas Callery: 19th century English landscape painter.
- Maureen Callery: Irish-American actress and singer.
- Leigh Callery: Australian ice hockey player.
- Matt Callery: English footballer.
- Francis Callery: French harpsichordist, composer, and conductor.
- Job Callery: Dutch cricketer.
- Christian Callery: French composer, organist, and conductor.
- Ben Callery: Australian-American soccer player.