Origin of the Name O'Gorman
The origin of the name
O'Gorman was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives.
Over the centuries Surnames developed a wide number of variants. Different spellings of the same name can be traced back to an original root. Additionally when a bearer of a name emigrated it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books at their new location. Surnames were also often altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another.
Variants of the name O'Gorman
include Gorman. This Irish sept originated in the Barony of Slievemargy, in County Leix, of which their Chief was Lord. They were driven out when the Normans invaded in the twelfth century and settled in West Clare and in County Monaghan. The head of the Monaghan sept became hereditary marshal to O'Brien of Thomond. The West Clare Gormans were noted for their wealth, hospitality and poets. There are ten townlands called Gormanstown lying in Counties Kildare, Westmeath, Meath, Wicklow, Limerick and Tipperary and two called Gormanston in Counties Meath and Dublin . Gormanston in County Meath has been on record since the year 1200.
The O'Gorman coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all O'Gorman descendants.