Moriarty Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Moriarty Family History

Moriarty Family History

The ancient origin of the name Moriarty 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 Moriarty include Moriartie and Murtagh. Moriarty is O'Muircheartaigh in Irish but in modern times the prefix is never attached to this name, though the form O'Moriarty and McMoriarty are found in old records. The sept, which is of the same origin as the O'Donoghues and the O'Mahonys, has always been associated with Kerry. Their original territory lay on both sides of Castlemaine Harbour. Modern statistics indicate that ninety per cent of the births registered in the name of Moriarty take place in Kerry. The Most Rev. David Moriarty, 1814-1877, Bishop of Kerry, was remarkable for his opposition not only to the Fenians but also to Home Rule. Other minor septs in that part of the country were soon submerged after the Anglo-Norman invasion but their descendants have survived, not however as Moriarty, but as Murtagh, and this name is fairly numerous in the midlands.The Moriarty 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 Moriarty descendants.