Gaelic sept

Hurley

Ó hUrthuile / Ó Muirthile

Also: O'Hurley

“descendant of Urthuile — 'sea-tide'”

🏔 Cork · Corcaigh 🏔 Limerick · Luimneach 🏔 Clare · An Clár

The sept's historic heartland, highlighted. People moved — a name can be found far from home.

The story

Tide-named septs of the south-west; Archbishop Dermot O'Hurley, tortured with boiling boots and hanged in 1584, is the name's martyr — beatified four centuries on.

Their world Around 1584 — The Tudor Conquest. Henry VIII takes the title 'King of Ireland' in 1541, and his children finish the work by sword, by plantation, and by the bargain called surrender and regrant.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Ó hUrthuile
Ó — descendant of (originally grandson of)
hUrthuile — the ancestor, trade or place the name is built on
Ó Muirthile
Ó — descendant of (originally grandson of)
Muirthile — the ancestor, trade or place the name is built on

Find this form in the Irish-to-English index → · What Ó and Mac actually mean

Is Hurley an Irish name?

Hurley is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here.

The five answers, and why it is rarely yes or no →

From Wikipedia — “Hurley (surname)”

Hurley is an English and Irish surname. It is most often a habitational name derived from Old English hyrne 'corner' plus leah 'woodland clearing'. In Ireland it may be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó hUrthuile or Clan Ó Comáin.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Ahern · Cork, Clare Casey · Cork, Limerick Collins · Cork, Limerick Creagh · Clare, Limerick Donovan · Cork, Limerick Galvin · Clare, Cork Griffin · Clare, Limerick Hayes · Cork, Limerick Hickey · Clare, Limerick Looney · Clare, Cork Lynch · Cork, Clare McInerney · Clare, Limerick Noonan · Cork, Limerick O'Brien · Clare, Limerick

Quick answers

Is Hurley an Irish name?

Hurley is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here. In Irish the name is Ó hUrthuile / Ó Muirthile.

What does the surname Hurley mean?

Hurley (Irish: Ó hUrthuile / Ó Muirthile) means “descendant of Urthuile — 'sea-tide'”. Origin: Gaelic sept.

Where in Ireland is the surname Hurley from?

The historic homeland of the Hurley name is Cork, Limerick, Clare. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Hurley?

Ó hUrthuile / Ó Muirthile. Related spellings: O'Hurley.

Looking for the Hurley family crest? Read this first — arms belong to people, not surnames, and the honest version is more interesting. Tracing Hurley ancestors? The step-by-step guide.

Not your spelling? Try the full A–Z. Know more about the Hurley name? Add to the story.