Crotty (and variations O’Crotty, Crotti, Crottee, etc.) are

anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

s of the

Irish name A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, most surnames are patronymic surnames (distinct from patronyms, which are seen in Icelandic names for example). The form of a surname varies according to whethe ...

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 Nena ...

('North

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

') where the

Dál gCais The Dalcassians ( ) are a Gaels, Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál ...

(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

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

and eastern

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

. 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 (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Vikings, Viking invasio ...

') 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 () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, and (despite extensive emigration) is still most common in the general area of the former kingdom of Thomond (i.e. Clare, west County Waterford,

South Tipperary South Tipperary () was a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. It was named after the town of Tipperary (town), Tipperary and consisted of 52% of the land area of the tradit ...

, parts of counties Cork and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

). 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 Plunkett.

Places

Crotty, Tasmania Crotty is the site of a former Government gazette, gazetted township, town in Western Tasmania, Australia. The town was on the southern bank of the King River, Tasmania, King River, on the eastern lower slopes of Mount Jukes, Tasmania, Mount Juk ...

, 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 R. Crotty (December 26, 1940 – January 9, 2023) was an American Post-Keynesian macroeconomist whose research in theory and policy attempts to integrate the complementary analytical strengths of the Marxian and Keynesian traditions. He ...

** James Crotty (Prospector), (1845–1898), Tasmanian prospector ** Jim Crotty, American football cornerback * Joe Crotty, (1860–1926), American baseball player * John Crotty, 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, (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 (born 1929), Bass player for the original Dave Brubeck Trio * Ryan Crotty (born 1988), New Zealand rugby player * Shane Crotty (born 1974), American immunologist and virologist *

Thomas Crotty Thomas James Eugene Crotty (March 18, 1912 – July 19, 1942) was a United States Coast Guard Lieutenant (navy), lieutenant. He was the first coast guardsman to become a prisoner of war since the War of 1812 and the only coast guardsman to be capt ...

(1912–1942), American Coast Guardsman held as POW during World War II *William Crott

("Crotty the Robber") was a

highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...

who was hanged in Waterford in 1742. Several of his hideouts in the Comeragh Mountains are named after him.

External links

Map of Ireland showing Crotty family distribution in the 19th century
{{surname Septs of the Dál gCais

Places

Notable people with the Crotty surname

See also

External links