Fennessey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

Etymology of Fennessey

What does the name Fennessey mean?

The Fennessey surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Fionnghusa, "descendant of Fionnghus," a personal name composed of the elements "fionn," meaning "fair," or "white," and "gus," meaning "vigor," or "force."

Early Origins of the Fennessey family

The surname Fennessey was first found in Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat as chiefs seated at Cashel of the Kings in that county. Irish history, after the Norman Conquest of England, was strongly influenced by the invasion of Strongbow in 1172, almost equal to the enormous Irish cultural impact on England Scotland, Wales and the whole of Europe before the Norman Conquest from the 1st to 7th centuries. Many Irish clanns and sept names were intermixed and family groupings became almost indistinguishable. This family name was found later in the county of Waterford.

Early History of the Fennessey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fennessey research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1747, 1874 and 1886 are included under the topic Early Fennessey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fennessey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fannessy, Fennessey, Finessy, Finessey, Fenessy, O'Fennesy and many more.

Early Notables of the Fennessey family

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

Migration of the Fennessey family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: James Fennese, who settled in Boston in 1748; James Fennesey, who settled in Philadelphia in 1834; Thomas Fennesy, who arrived in Memphis, TN in 1851; Michael Fennessy, who settled in Massachusetts in 1852.

Contemporary Notables of the name Fennessey (post 1700) +

Joseph Fennessey (1916-1998), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972 1
Dr. Neil M Fennessey, American Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

The Fennessey 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: Recte adhibito Deus adjuvat
Motto Translation: God will help us to do right

Sources +

The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html