Ó Meadhra is a Gaelic-Irish surname meaning "descendant of Meadhra". The given name Meadhra is derived from the Gaelic meadhar meaning "merry, happy".Origins and HistoryAccording to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Mearas were one of the chiefly families of the Dal gCais (Dalcassians), a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC. The Ó Meadhra clan were a sept of this powerful dynasty. The surname is most common in the homeland of north-east Thomond, which corresponds to present-day County Tipperary and adjoining parts of County Clare. The family seat was Toomevara (meaning "O'Meara's tumulus"), a site steeped in the clan's history.Members of the family served as physicians and poets to the Earl of Ormond, a testament to their status as a learned and influential sept. The last Gaelic-era Chief of the Name was Domhnall Ó Meadhra, after whom the hereditary leadership passed through the lineage.AnglicizationDuring the later period of English dominance in Ireland, the name Ó Meadhra was commonly Anglicized as O'Meara or O'Mara, with or without the "O'" prefix. The variant Ó Meara is also found.Meaning: "Descendant of the merry one"Origin: Gaelic-IrishType: Surname (patronymic)Regions: Primarily County Tipperary and County Clare, Ireland