Brophy Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Brophy Family History

Brophy Family History

The Brophy ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The name Brophy is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name O'Broithe. Variants include Brophey and Broy. This Irish name belongs to Counties Leix and Kilkenny and according to the 'census' of 1659 Brophy was one of the principal names in five baronies of Queen's Country, and in five of Kilkenny. The placename of Ballybrophy is in Clandonagh. Anglo-Norman pressure drove many of the sept westwards into Upper Ossory. Daniel Brophy of Castlecomer, three times Mayor of Ballarat, was a well known public figure in Australia in the 1870s. Hugh Brophy, a leading Dublin Fenian, was transported in the last of the convict ships and went to Melbourne after his release.The Brophy 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 Brophy descendants.