Ó Ciardha, modern spelling Ó Ciara: Anglicised Carey, Keary, Kearey, Carry, O Carry. Mainly a midland (Leinster) surname.Woulfe, P. 'Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall', Dublin, 1923MacLysaght, E. 'The Surnames of Ireland', Dublin, 1985Hanks, P. 'Dictionary of American Family Names', Oxford, 2003 One major sept of Ó Ciardha was that of Carbury in modern County Kildare, which receives very early mention in the Irish Annals, such as the Annals of Ulster in 954 AD, 'ua Ciardai, ri Cairpri', i.e. O Carey, king of Carbury,online at University College Cork: http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html and the Annals of Tigernach in 993 AD.online at University College Cork:http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100002A/index.html
Other names are also Anglicised Carey, including Ó Ciaráin (Munster), Ó Céirín (Connaught, Munster). All three of these patronymics have Old Irish root 'ciar' or 'céir'- 'dark, black'.Woulfe, op. cit.; Maclysaght, op. cit.; De Bhulbh, S. 'Sloinnte na h-Éireann, Irish Surnames', Limerick, 1997
See also Carey (surname)
References