Contents [hide]

Agnew History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Agnew History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Agnew family

The surname Agnew was first found in the Barony of Agneaux, within Normandy, where "a Marquis d'Agneaux still owns portions of the ancestral fiefs and the Chateau d'Agneaux still overlooks the valley of the Vire. In 1363 the Lochnaw family of the name were appointed hereditary sheriffs of Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh) by King David a and they gradually became great land-owners in the province, holding many estates." 1

"In 1074 Herbert de Agnellis and Corbin his son sold lands to Odo of Bayeux." 2

Some have mistakenly considered the Agnews to be of Irish origin, as an Anglicized form of the Irish sept O'Gnivews, but the name is actually of territorial origin, deriving from Agneaux. They are descended from John McDonnell, brother of Angus Oge, Lord of the Isles, his grandson being John MacGneive, who was called in English, Agnew.

Early History of the Agnew family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Agnew research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1578, 1628, 1633, 1643, 1644, 1647, 1660, 1661, 1665, 1667, 1669, 1671, 1685, 1687, 1689, 1702, 1735, 1771, 1864, 1890 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Agnew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Agnew Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Agnew, Gneive, MacGneive, Aggnew, O'Gnieves, O'Gneeves, Agnewe, Agnev and many more.

Early Notables of the Agnew family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Sir Andrew Agnew, the famous poet
Sir Patrick Agnew, 1st Baronet (c. 1578-1661), Member of Parliament for Wigtownshire, 1628-1633 and 1643-1647
Sir Andrew Agnew, 2nd Baronet (died 1671), Member of Parliament for Wigtownshire, in 1644, 1647, 1665, 1667 and 1669
Sir Andrew Agnew, 3rd Baronet (died 1702), Member of Parliament for Wigtownshire in 1685 and 1689-1702
Sir James Agnew, 4th Baronet (c. 1660-1735)

Agnew Ranking

In the United States, the name Agnew is the 3,657^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3 However, in New Zealand, the name Agnew is ranked the 653^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,093 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Agnew family to Ireland

Some of the Agnew family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Agnew migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Agnew Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andrew Agnew, who landed in Maryland in 1674 5
Aud Agnew, who landed in Maryland in 1674 5
Ninian Agnew, who landed in Maine in 1676 5

Agnew Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andrew Agnew, who landed in Virginia in 1709 5
Andrew Agnew, who settled in New England in 1718
John Agnew, who arrived in Virginia in 1753 5
John Agnew, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1772 5
Andrew Agnew, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Agnew Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Agnew, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1807 5
Deckey Agnew, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 5
Thomas Agnew, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1820 5
John Agnew, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
William Agnew, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Agnew Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

James Agnew, who arrived in Arkansas in 1902 5

Agnew migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Agnew Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Reverend John Agnew U.E. born in Parish Suffolk, Vermont, USA, United Empire Loyalist who settled near Fredericton, New Brunswick c. 1783 part of the Queen's Rangers Regiment 6
Captain Stair Agnew U.E. born in Virginia, USA, United Empire Loyalist who settled in Fredericton, New Brunswick c. 1783; member of the Queen's Rangers Regiment 6

Agnew Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

J. B. Agnew, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Mary" in 1838
Ms. Margaret Agnew, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Caithness-shire" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 7
Mr. Alexander Agnew, aged 4 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Goliah" departing 21st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 18th July 1847 but he died on board 8

Agnew migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Agnew Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Agnew, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Elizabeth Agnew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Stebonheath" in 1849 10
Miss Agnes Agnew, (b. 1825), aged 26, Scottish house maid who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 22nd April 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. William John Agnew, (b. 1837), aged 29, Scottish tailor who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 10 years for theft, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia, he died in 1911 12

Agnew migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Agnew Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Agnew, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Strathfieldsaye" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 29th April 1858 13
Mr. William Agnew, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 13
Mrs. Janet Agnew, (b. 1828), aged 36, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 14
Mr. James Agnew, (b. 1830), aged 34, British ploughman travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 14
Miss Elizabeth Agnew, (b. 1862), aged 2, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Agnew (post 1700) +

Harold Melvin Agnew (1921-2013), American physicist and politician, member of New Mexico Senate (1955-1961), and director of Los Alamos National Laboratory 1970-1979
Charlie Agnew (1901-1978), American Jazz musician and band-leader
Robert Agnew (1899-1983), American film actor
David Hayes Agnew (1818-1892), American surgeon in attendance as operating surgeon when President Garfield was fatally wounded by the bullet of an assassin in 1881
John W. Agnew, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
Paul Agnew (b. 1964), Scottish Baroque singer
Patrick Alexander vans Agnew (1822-1848), Indian civil servant whose murder at Multán by the retainers of Mulráj led to the second Sikh war and to the annexation of the Punjáb as a British province 15
Mr. Peter Stewart Agnew M.B.E., British Senior Executive Officer for Ministry of Defence, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for public service 16
Sir Andrew Agnew (1793-1849), Irish born peer, 7th Baronet of Lochnaw, and promoter of Sabbatarian legislation 15
Brigadier Donald Robert Agnew (b. 1897), Canadian Director of Imperial War Graves Commission in North-West Europe from 1954 to 1958 17
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Agnew family +

HMS Royal Oak

Clement William Agnew (1923-1939), born in Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland, Scottish Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 18

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Agnew, Irish 3rd Class passenger residing in Monessen, Pennsylvania, USA returning to Ireland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 19
Mr. Thomas W. Agnew, Irish 3rd Class passenger residing in Monessen, Pennsylvania, USA returning to Ireland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 19

The Agnew Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Consilio non impetu
Motto Translation: By wisdom not by rashness.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 12)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 64)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEBONHEATH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Stebonheath.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, August 30) Donald Agnew. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Agnew/Donald_Robert/Canada.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/