The Clan/Sept History

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich
histories. The name O Quigley originally appeared in Gaelic as O Coigligh, which
may be derived from "coigeal," which denotes "unkempt hair."

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent
endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy
would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period.
Research into the name O Quigley revealed spelling variations, including
O'Quigley, Quigley, Cogley, Quigly, Quigg, MacQuigg, McQuigge, O'Quigg, Twigg,
Fivey and many more.
First found in county Mayo, where they were seated from very ancient times.
The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a
great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government
and landowners. Many of these Irish Families sailed to North America aboard
overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to
North America occured with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These
particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and
Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as
the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of
cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in
these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as
the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration
and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name O
Quigley: Andrew, Hugh, James, John, Joseph, Neil, Thomas and William Quigg all
arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1870; Andrew, Charles, Daniel, Edward,
Francis, George, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas and William Quigley
all arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1870.