Heeney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Heeney

What does the name Heeney mean?

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Heeney originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hEighnigh. 1

Early Origins of the Heeney family

The surname Heeney was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Heeney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heeney research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heeney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heeney Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Heeney family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Heaney, Heany, Hegney, Hegeany, Heagney, Heeney and others.

Early Notables of the Heeney family

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

Heeney migration to the United States +

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many Heeneys:

Heeney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frances Heeney, who arrived in New York in 1828 2
Terence Heeney, who arrived in New York in 1828 2
James Heeney, aged 25, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Silvanus Jenkins" in 1833 3
Thomas Heeney, aged 20, Irish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "planter" in 1837 3
Mich Heeney, aged 19, Irish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Europe" in 1840 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heeney migration to Australia +

Heeney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Lavinia Heeney, aged 21, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Fearnought" in 1863 4
Miss Matilda Heeney, aged 23, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Fearnought" in 1863 4
Jno Jos Heeney, aged 1, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Maryborough" in 1863 4
John Heeney, aged 35, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Maryborough" in 1863 4
Lauce Heeney, aged 2, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Maryborough" in 1863 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heeney Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Miss Heeney, aged 22, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Wimmera" in 1906 4
Hugh Heeney, aged 49, British settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Osterley" in 1910 5
Lizzie Heeney, aged 49, British settler who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Osterley" in 1910 5
Alice Heeney, aged 36, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Geelong" in 1911 4
Margaret Heeney, aged 8, British settler who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Geelong" in 1911 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heeney 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:

Heeney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Rose Heeney, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879
Francis Heeney, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883
Rose Heeney, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Heeney (post 1700) +

Cornelius Heeney, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1816-22 6

Sources +

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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Public Records Office retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://prov.vic.gov.au
National Archives of Australia retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html