What do you think was the original spelling of this Irish name?

[PatCT]

Tara, all I have on the parents and siblings is the 1860 US Federal Census (Cuyler), parents birthplace Ireland.  They don't appear anywhere else.  The son, Michael, appears on Trinity Church NYC baptismal records for his children's baptisms (Kieler), children's birth records (Cuyler), city directories (Kilor).  I didn't know if I was allowed to add the links here.  He was born about 1846 and died around 1879.  I don't find him anywhere else.

[taramcdsmall]

Unless these are all the one family ~ the name doesn't seem nearly as rare as I thought.

UGH if we had an inkling of the County then saying it with THAT counties accent in mind would help for sure.

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Acuyler~%20%2Bbirth_place%3Aireland~

Tara

[taramcdsmall]

~ Can you write it up phonetically here as how you have been pronouncing it 'til now ?!

Tara

[taramcdsmall]

Anyone here make an attempt with a Cork accent ?

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SG6Z-Y5H

Tara

[taramcdsmall]

I have an inkling it's Kelleher !

Tara

[taramcdsmall]

Some Cork folk don't emphasise the H in Kelleher and so it become KEY LER.

I've a friend who has Cork Kelleher blood and when the family went to the States the name was changed to something totally different as there were that many issues with it !

I'm pretty confident then that the surname that you are looking at it in fact Kelleher.

I'm open to debate 

Tara

[Rena]

Unless these are all the one family ~ the name doesn't seem nearly as rare as I thought.

UGH if we had an inkling of the County then saying it with THAT counties accent in mind would help for sure.

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Acuyler~%20%2Bbirth_place%3Aireland~

Tara

That list is taken from the American census and the births are calculated from the census, thus it doesn't answer the question of what was the actual spelling in the land of origin.

Most experienced am. historians find it's always helpful to have an idea of how the people speak where the name originates/originated from.  One simple example is one of my lines is a "Shearing" but when one member of the family moved to another county his dialect made it sound like "Sharrin" and that's what the local census clerk wrote down.

[taramcdsmall]

Hi Rena

My point in posting that link was to show my train of thought ~

The list was to show that the unusual spelling of a surname to an Irish family was not restricted to just the OPs family.

The list was to start to see was there any pattern to those on the list and to deduce WERE they in fact Irish, and where may they have come from in Ireland if so.

The list then showed a Cornelious appearing ~ a Christian name that features heavily in Cork.

This Cork train of thought led to someone else on that same list, with the same unusual spelling, that was born in Cork.

It is then, with full knowledge of a Cork accent that leads to fresh eyes looking at that same list of names that leads to my belief that the surname was Kelleher.

Which goes back to the OPs original question, what did we think their family surname was in Ireland.

So, can you see how it does answer the question ?!

Tara

[PatCT]

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC73-FSF
This is the family.  Today, it is pronounced (with a Brooklyn, NY accent ) Ki (the I is a long I - pronounced eye) lor (the lor as in lord).  Ki-lor.