English
Shealy
Shealy comes from Irish Ó Sealbhaig ‘descendant of Sealbhach’, from sealbhach ‘wealthy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- ‘to take, grasp’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selh₁-‘to take, grasp’reconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*selwā‘possession’reconstructed
- Old Irishc. 600–900selb‘property, appurtenance, domain, possessions’
- Old Irish, derivedc. 600–900selbach‘having great possessions’
- Irishc. 1200–presentsealbhach‘wealthy’
- Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentÓ Sealbhaig‘descendant of Sealbhach’
- Englishearliest quotation 2005Shealy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selh₁-‘to take, grasp’reconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*selwā‘possession’reconstructed
- Old Irishc. 600–900selb‘property, appurtenance, domain, possessions’
- Old Irish, derivedc. 600–900selbach‘having great possessions’
- Irishc. 1200–presentsealbhach‘wealthy’
- Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentÓ Sealbhaig‘descendant of Sealbhach’
- Englishearliest quotation 2005Shealy
Earliest quotation: 2005, [Weddings] Osborne-Whitman: “Flower girl was Shealy Long of Greenville.”
The story
Reduced form of O'Shealy, an Anglicized form of Irish Ó Sealbhaig (‘descendant of Sealbhach’), a byname from the adjective sealbhach (‘wealthy’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- ‘to take, grasp’
council, sell, sale, counsel, consult, consul, consigliere, 3 more
Today it means
name A surname from Irish.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- / Shealy