Molloy or O' Molloy is an Irish surname, anglicised from O Maolmhuaidh, maolmhuadh meaning 'Proud Chieftain'. (See also Malloy .) They were part of the southern Ui Neill , the southern branch of the large tribal grouping claiming descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages , the fifth-century king who supposedly kidnapped St Patrick to Ireland. They held power over a large part of what is now County 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 early Irish monks . As well as Molloy, this surname has also been anglicised as Mulloy, Malloy, Maloy, 'Miley' and 'Millea'. The name arose in east Connacht , in the Roscommon/east Galway region, and remains numerous there today.

Notable people with the surname include:

• Aaron Molloy (1997), Irish footballer
• Albin O'Molloy (died 1223), one of the bishops who officiated at the coronation of King Richard the Lionheart in England in 1189
• Annie E. Molloy (1871?1928), American suffragist, labor leader
• Anthony Molloy (disambiguation) , several people
• Bill Molloy (1929?2020), English footballer
• Bobby Molloy , Irish politician
• Charles Molloy (journalist) (died 1767), Irish journalist, political activist and minor playwright
• Charles Molloy (lawyer) (1640?1690), Irish lawyer known as a writer on maritime law
• Donald W. Molloy , American judge
• Francie Molloy , Irish politician
• Garret Molloy (played 1990s), Irish rugby player
• Georgiana Molloy , early settler and botanical collector in Western Australia
• Gerald Molloy , Irish theologian and scientist
• Irene Molloy , American actress, singer and songwriter of Irish descent
• Isobelle Molloy (born 2000), English actress
• James Lynam Molloy (1837?1909), Irish composer and writer
• Joanna Molloy , American gossip columnist
• John Molloy , early settler in Western Australia
• Leo Molloy , New Zealand businessman
• Leonard Greenham Star Molloy , British Member of Parliament
• Margaret Molloy , Irish businesswoman
• Matt Molloy , Irish musician
• Mick Molloy , Australian comedian, co-host of the Martin/Molloy radio program
• Michael Joseph Molloy (M.J. Molloy) , Irish playwright (1914-1994)
• Mike Molloy , British journalist, newspaper editor, artist and author
• Mitch Molloy (1965?2024), Canadian ice hockey player
• Myra Molloy , Thai singer
• Father Niall Molloy, a priest who died in mysterious circumstances in 1985
• Ryan Molloy , British actor, singer and songwriter
• Seaneen Molloy , Northern Irish blogger and writer
• Sylvia Molloy , Argentine academic and writer
• Sylvia Clark Molloy , British artist
• Terry Molloy (born 1947), British actor
• Thomas Molloy , Australian politician
• Thomas B. Molloy , Canadian politician
• Thomas Edmund Molloy , American Bishop of Brooklyn 1921?1956
• W. Thomas Molloy , Canadian lawyer and land claim negotiator
• William Molloy (disambiguation) , several people

See also [ edit ]

• Mulloy Brothers , Irish balladeer group

Surname list

This page lists people with the surname Molloy .
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link.