Crotty (and variations O’Crotty, Crotti, Crottee, etc.) are
anglicisations of the
Irish name
A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, surnames are generally patronymic in etymology but are no longer literal patronyms as, for example, most Icelandic names still are. The form of a surname varie ...
Ó Crotaigh – ‘Descendant of Crotach’.
The name dates from medieval times, to the pre-
Norman kingdom of
Thomond
Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nenag ...
('North
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following th ...
') where the
Dál gCais (in English: ‘Dalcassian’) clan, centred on the regional rulers - the Uí Briain (
O'Brien) family - were dominant. The Crottys were one of eight
septs of the O’Briens (i.e. descended via the female line - hence the different surnames). They settled in Western
Co.Waterford and Eastern
Co.Cork.
In common with the O’Briens - and the millions of descendants of the other seven septs - the Crotty sept's likely ultimate common ancestor is Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig (‘
Brian Boru
Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. ...
’) c.941 – 1014, and therefore possibly (via the Dál gCais) as far back as Cormac Cas in the 3rd Century.
The name originates in present-day
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
, and (despite extensive emigration) is still most common in the general area of the former kingdom of Thomond (i.e. West Waterford, Clare,
South Tipperary, parts of Cork and
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
).
Spelling variations include Crotty, O'Crotty, Crotti, Crothon, Crotton, Crotone, Crottee, Crottey, O'Crottey, O'Crottee, O'Crottie, Croddy, and Cratty. Other non-anglicised versions in use include Crothaigh, Chrothaigh etc.
The other seven related septs of the O'Briens are the families: Bernard, Consadine, Lysaght, MacMahon, O'Mahoney, Padden/MacFadden and Plunket
Places
*
Crotty, Tasmania, Australia
**
Crotty Dam, Tasmania, Australia
*
Seneca, Illinois, United States, known as Crotty prior to 1957
Notable people with the Crotty surname
*
Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Crotty (1885–1960), Irish traditional musician from
Kilrush
Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...
, Co.Clare. An annual music festival was held in the town for many years in her memory.
*
Horace Crotty, (1886–1952), Australian clergyman
*
James Crotty, disambiguation page for
**
James Crotty (economist)
**
James Crotty (Prospector), (1845–1898), Tasmanian prospector
**
Jim Crotty
James Richard Crotty (March 3, 1938 - November 20, 2021) was an American football defensive back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at ...
, American football cornerback
*
Joe Crotty, (1860–1926), American baseball player
*
John Crotty
John Kevin Crotty (born July 15, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'1" point guard from the University of Virginia, Crotty was undrafted, but played in 11 National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons from 1992 to 2003 ...
, American basketball player
*
Kieran Crotty, Irish politician
*
Maggie Crotty (1948-2020), American politician; Illinois Senator
*
Michael Francis Crotty (born 1970), Apostolic Nuncio
*
Mick Crotty, Irish hurling player
*
Patrick Crotty (1902 – 1970), Irish politician
*
Paul A. Crotty
Paul Austin Crotty (born April 1, 1941) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Education and career
Born in Buffalo, New York, Crotty received a Bachelor of Arts degre ...
, (born 1941), United States federal judge
*
Raymond Crotty (1925-1994), historian and litigant in the Irish constitutional case ''
Crotty v. An Taoiseach''.
*
Rich Crotty (born 1948), Florida politician
*
Ron Crotty
Ron Crotty (December 31, 1929 – May 7, 2015), born Ronald O'Crotty, was an American jazz bassist. He became known in the late 1940s and early 1950s for work with pianists Dave Brubeck and Vince Guaraldi.
Career
Crotty played the violin ...
(born 1929), Bass player for the original Dave Brubeck Trio
*
Ryan Crotty (born 1988), New Zealand rugby player
*
Shane Crotty
Shane Patrick Crotty (born 26 January 1974) is a professor of immunology in the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research at La Jolla Institute for Immunology.
Education and academic posts
Crotty completed B.S. degrees in Biology and Wr ...
(born 1974), American immunologist and virologist
*
Thomas Crotty (1912–1942), American Coast Guardsman held as POW during World War II
*William Crott
("Crotty the Robber") was a
highwayman who was hanged in Waterford in 1742. Several of his hideouts in the
Comeragh Mountains are named after him.
See also
*
Crotty Schism
The Crotty Schism took place in the early 19th century, when Father Michael Crotty and his cousin, Father William Crotty, broke away from the Catholic Church to form their own church in Birr, County Offaly, Ireland.
The two fathers began preach ...
, early 19th century minor Irish church schism
*
Van Dyne Crotty
Van Dyne Crotty Inc. was a uniform laundering and rental company in the United States, trading from 1935 to 2006. Founded by Lloyd Van Dyne and Fergus Crotty, on January 1, 1935, during the height of the Great Depression, the company grew from a $5 ...
Inc, textile leasing company in the United States
External links
Map of Ireland showing Crotty family distribution in the 19th Century
{{surname
Septs of the Dál gCais