Contents [hide]

Birnie History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Birnie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The ancestors of bearers of the Birnie family name are thought to have come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The name is derived from the place name Brennath, in Moray The village of Birnie was originally called Brenuth, from "brae-nut," which means "hazel trees." Natives of Birnie, using a local dialect, also called the village "Burn-nigh," which means near the burn river. This local name, particularly in medieval times, is prefixed by 'de', which means '"from."

Early Origins of the Birnie family

The surname Birnie was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, Scotland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Birnie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birnie research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1261 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Birnie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birnie Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Birnie, Birney, Birny, Birnye, Byrnye, Byrny, Berney, Birne, Byrne, McBirny, McBirnie, McBurny, McBurnie and many more.

Early Notables of the Birnie family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Sir Andrew Birnie of Saline

Migration of the Birnie family to Ireland

Some of the Birnie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birnie migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Birnie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Birnie who settled in Philadelphia in 1811
Clotworthy Birnie, aged 47, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 1
George Birnie, aged 22, who landed in South Carolina in 1812 1
Clothworthy Birnie, who landed in Maryland in 1815 1
Margaret Birnie, who arrived in Maryland in 1818 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Birnie migration to Australia +

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

Birnie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Birnie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 2

Birnie 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:

Birnie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Birnie, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd January 1843 3
Mr. James Birnie, (b. 1835), aged 25, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 4
Mr. William Birnie, (b. 1835), aged 26, Scottish ploughman from Aberdeenshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Victoria" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th March 1862 3
Mary Birnie, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
Alexander Birnie, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Birnie (post 1700) +

Rogers Birnie (1851-1939), American army officer and explorer of Death Valley
Dr John Esmond Birnie (b. 1965), Irish author, economist, and politician, Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast South (1998-2007)
Alexander Birnie (1826-1862), Scottish poet and journalist, from Morayshire
Jay Birnie (b. 1983), Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played from 2006 to 2011
Richard Birnie (1808-1888), Scottish barrister who emigrated to colonial Australia in 1859, son of Richard Birnie
Sir Richard Birnie (1760-1832), Scottish saddler and police magistrate in London, known for his involvement in solving the Cato Street Conspiracy
James Birnie (1799-1864), Scottish fur trader who emigrated to Lower Canada at the age of 16 to later become and employee for the North West Company (NWC) and the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC); he became the first settler of Cathlamet, Washington
Captain Harry Charles Birnie DSO RD (1882-1943), Scottish naval officer and sea captain for the Cunard Line, killed in action while in command of a merchant convoy in the North Atlantic in 1943
Edward Lawson "Ted" Birnie (1878-1935), English professional footballer who played from 1898 to 1910 and manager of Southend United (1922-1934)
Tessa Daphne Birnie OAM (1934-2008), New Zealand-born, Australian concert pianist

Historic Events for the Birnie family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. John Birnie, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 5

The Birnie 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: Sapere aude, incipe
Motto Translation: Dare to be wise, begin at once.

Citations +

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edwin-fox
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
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html