3,076 Global LEAHEY Family Members

LEAHEY Family History

Recorded in the spellings of O'Leahy, Leahy and Leahey in Counties Tipperary and Cork, and O'Lahy and Lahy in County Clare, this is an Irish surname of great antiquity. Generally to be found in the province of Munster, and in some numbers on the West Coast, the derivation is from the pre 12th century Gaelic word "laochda", which translates as "The heroic one". In the first instance the name was given to the chief of the clan, and it should be assumed that it was as a result of a battle, in which he distinguished himself.