O'Meara Coat of Arms, Family Crest and O'Meara Family History

O'Meara Family History

The O'Meara 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'Meara include O'Mara and Maragh. The O'Mearas originated in North County Tipperary, the centre of their territory being Toomevara, a placename which embodies their surname, 'Tuaim vi Mheadhra' in Irish. It is still in County Tipperary that the name is most often found in modern times. Notable people of the name were Dermot O'Meara, physician and poet, whose first medical work was published in Dublin in the year 1619. Another medical author was Edmund O'Meara, 1786-1836. Baron William O'Meara, 1764-1818, and Colonel Daniel O'Meara, 1764, both had distinguished services in the Irish Brigade in France. In modern times the O'Mearas have been prominent in industrial and political activities.The O'Meara 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'Meara descendants.