Molloy orO'Molloy is an Irish surname, anglicised fromÓ Maolmhuaidh, maolmhuadh meaning 'Proud Chieftain'. (See alsoMalloy.) They were part of the southernUí Néill, the southern branch of the large tribal grouping claiming descent fromNiall of the Nine Hostages, the fifth-century king who supposedly kidnappedSt Patrick to Ireland. They held power over a large part of what is nowCounty Offaly, where the surname is still very common. A second family were the O Maoil Aodha, 'descendant of the devotee of (St) Aodh', from maol, literally 'bald', a reference to the distinctive tonsure sported by earlyIrish monks. As well as Molloy, this surname has also been anglicised as Mulloy, Malloy, Maloy, 'Miley' and 'Millea'. The name arose in eastConnacht, in the Roscommon/eastGalway region, and remains numerous there today.
This page lists people with thesurnameMolloy. If aninternal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change thatlink by adding the person'sgiven name(s) to the link.
