Contents [hide]

Hanley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Hanley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Irish surname Hanley comes from the Gaelic "Ó hAinle," which is derived from the word "ainle," meaning "beauty." 1

Early Origins of the Hanley family

The surname Hanley was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from ancient times and the surname emerged as an anglicized form of the Irish Ó hAinle.

Early History of the Hanley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hanley research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1085, 1096, 1111, 1659 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Hanley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hanley Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Hanley that are preserved in archival documents are O'Hanley, Hanley, O'Hanly, Hanly, Henley, O'Henley, Henly, O'Henley, Hanlay and many more.

Early Notables of the Hanley family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Donal O'Hanley, Bishop of Dublin in the 11th century

Hanley Ranking

In the United States, the name Hanley is the 1,850^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Hanley is ranked the 941^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,202 people with that name. 3

Hanley migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Hanley to North America:

Hanley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Hanley, who arrived in Maryland in 1648 4
Thomas Hanley, who sailed to Maryland in 1685

Hanley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Hanley, who sailed to North Carolina in 1701
Stophel Hanley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1759 4

Hanley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

I Hanley, who landed in America in 1805 4
Thomas Hanley, who arrived in Kentucky in 1811 4
John H Hanley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 4
Mathew Hanley, aged 47, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Mary Hanley, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hanley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hanley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Hanley, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
Richard Hanley, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
Rose Hanley, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
Mrs. Ann Hanley, aged 33 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Saguenay" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 5
Miss. Catherine Hanley, aged 3 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 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hanley migration to Australia +

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

Hanley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr.William Hanley, (b. 1781), aged 38, Irish gardener who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bencoolen" on 24th April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia before being transferred to Tasmania via the "Admiral Cockburn" 6
Mr. Thady Hanley, (Timothy), (b. 1802), aged 18, Irish labourer who was convicted in Roscommon, Ireland for life for sedition, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1870 7
Mr. Edward Hanley, (b. 1793), aged 35, Irish ploughman who was convicted in County Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. James Hanley, (b. 1798), aged 30, Irish ploughman who was convicted in County Tipperary, Ireland for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Hanley, (Hanly), Irish convict who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hanley 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:

Hanley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Matthias Hanley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in January 1863 9
Mrs. Mary Hanley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in January 1863 9
Miss Isabella Hanley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in January 1863 9
John Hanley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 10
Rosanna Hanley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hanley (post 1700) +

Bridget Ann Elizabeth Hanley (1941-2021), American actress, known for her starring and supporting roles in the Western dramedy Here Come the Brides and her starring role in Harper Valley PTA as Wanda Reilly Taylor
Lynne Hanley (b. 1943), American feminist author and literary critic
Richard Dennis Hanley (b. 1936), American silver medalist swimmer at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Richard Edgar "Dick" Hanley (1894-1970), American football player and coach
Daniel P. Hanley A.C.E. (b. 1955), American Academy Award winning film editor, best known for his work in Apollo 13 (1995)
Bridget Ann Elizabeth Hanley (b. 1941), American actress, known for her roles in Here Come the Brides and her starring role in Harper Valley PTA
William "Bo" Hanley (1891-1954), American professional football head coach of the Kenosha Maroons in 1924
Bill Hanley, American sound behind the Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York in August 1969
Brigadier-General Thomas James Jr. Hanley (1893-1969), American Chief of Military Personnel Procurement Service (1948-) 11
William Hanley (b. 1931), American playwright and novelist
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hanley family +

Grover Shoe factory

Mr. P. J. Hanley (b. 1863), American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he survived 12

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Patrick Peter Hanley, Irish 3rd Class passenger from Lisnagry, County Limerick, Ireland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 13

SS Atlantic

Mr. John Hanley, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking
Mary Hanley, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Mr. Michael Hanley, British traveler who was aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Mr. Patrick Hanley, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

The Hanley 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: Saigeadoir collac abu
Motto Translation: The valiant archer for ever.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"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 Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/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)
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. 31)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bencoolen
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Borodino
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 5) Thomas Hanley. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hanley/Thomas_James_Jr./USA.html
California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/