Birne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Birne was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Birn or Ó Beirn, from the Norse forename Bjorn. 1

Early Origins of the Birne family

The surname Birne was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Birne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birne research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1747, 1748, 1789, 1812, 1823, 1850, 1853 and 1887 are included under the topic Early Birne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birne Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Birne were encountered in the archives: Bierne, O'Bierne, Biern, O'Biern, Beirne, O'Beirne, Beirn, O'Beirn, Birn, O'Birn, Birne and many more.

Early Notables of the Birne family

More information is included under the topic Early Birne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birne migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Birne:

Birne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ellin Birne, who landed in Maryland in 1679 2

Birne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Birne Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Bridget Birne, who sailed to Quebec in 1849
Michael Birne, aged 41, who arrived in Quebec in 1849

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
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)