O'Connor(Kerry) Coat of Arms, Family Crest and O'Connor(Kerry) Family History

O'Connor(Kerry) Family History

The O'Connor ancient family history 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 O'Connor include O'Conor, Connor, Conor and Conyers. The O'Connors descended from Conchobbar who was King of Connacht in the year 971. The last two Kings of Connacht, Turlough O'Connor, 1088-1198, and Roderick O'Connor, 1116-1198, were of this line. There were six O'Connor septs, the most important being the O'Connors of Connacht. The O'Connor sept of Kerry had their territory north of Kerry, but were pushed to the Shannon estuary after the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1170. The other septs were O'Connor of Corcomroe, Clare, O'Connor of Offaly and O'Connor of Keenaght, Ulster. Their family mansion in Clonalis, near Roscommon, is a unique treasury of Irish relics.The O'Connor 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 O'Connor descendants.