Quigley Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Quigley Family History

Quigley Family History

The ancient origin of the name Quigley was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Quigley include Cogley, Quigly, Quigg, Fivey, Twigley and Quickley. The Gaelic Sept from which these names are derived belonged to the Northern Ui Fiachra and was located in County Mayo in the Barony of Carra. The sept became dispersed by the end of the sixteenth century and is now widespread, most of the name belonging by birth or recent family ties to the Derry, Donegal and Sligo areas, where the sept also located during the seventeenth century, with other branches in Counties Galway and Louth. An Ulster Sept of the name, in the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, should be mentioned, as, in the 'census' of 1659 Quigley is the fifth most numerous name in that barony. A very notable bearer of the name was the priest, Dr. James Edward Quigley, who was Bishop of Buffalo. His support of trade unionism in America and his success in the settlement of strikes, up to the time of his death in 1915, made him a prominent figure in the United States.The Quigley family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Quigley descendants.