Arny Surname History

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The Irish name Arny has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. Generally, the original Gaelic form of the name Arny is said to be Ó Cearnaigh, from the word "cearnach," which means "victorious." 1 However, in some instances, especially the roots of the present day spelling of Kearney, the surname derives from the Gaelic name "Ó Catharnaigh," meaning "warlike."

Early Origins of the Arny family

The surname Arny was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from ancient times and were a branch of the Ui Fiachrach.

The MacCarney (McCarney) variant is "Mac Cearnaigh and the family was originally seated at Ballymacarney, Co. Meath. According to records from the sixteenth century to the present day it must be regarded as belonging to Ulster: in the Fiants we find a MacCarney among the followers of Rory O'Donnell; in the Hearth Money Rolls of the l660's the name appears frequently in Cos. Monaghan and Armagh; and comparatively recent sources indicate that they are still mainly located in that part of Ulster. It would appear, however, that the prefix Mac has been widely dropped, the name being now registered as Carney or Kearney. Probably the most remarkable person of this name was Susan MacKarney who died in Dublin in 1751 reputedly 120 years of age. She was a beggarwoman who had £250 secreted in the mattress of her death bed." 2

Early History of the Arny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arny research. Another 230 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1529, 1539, 1543 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Arny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arny Spelling Variations

Before widespread literacy came to Ireland, a name was often recorded under several different variations during the life of its bearer. Accordingly, numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Arny family name. Variations found include Carney, Carnie, McCarney, MacCarney, O'Carney, Kearney and many more.

Early Notables of the Arny family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

In Scotland, "Patrick Makcarny was one of an assize in Carrik in 1529. Duncan Makkarny was one of the tenants on the king's farm of Lawse, Strathdee, in 1539. James M'Carny was witness in Edinburgh, 1...

Migration of the Arny family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Arny or a variant listed above, including: William Carney who settled in Virginia in 1650; Timothy Carney settled in Virginia in 1751; Easter Carney settled in Virginia in 1752; Mary Carney settled in Pennsylvania in 1773.

Contemporary Notables of the name Arny (post 1700) +

William Frederick Milton Arny (1813-1881), American Republican politician, U.S. Indian Agent in various capacities, 1861-62 and 1867-75; Secretary of New Mexico Territory, 1862-67 3

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html