Show ContentsHooey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Hooey originally appeared in Gaelic as "O hEochaidh" or "Mac Eochaidh," derived from an Irish personal name "Eachaidh," meaning a "horseman."

Early Origins of the Hooey family

The surname Hooey 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 from ancient times at Ballymackeogh, and were descended from the MacKeoghs who in turn were descended from their eponymous ancestor Eochaidh O'Kelly one of the ancient Kings of Ui Maine.

Early History of the Hooey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hooey research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1534, 1653, 1725, 1798, 1828 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Hooey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hooey Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Hooey can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Hoey, O'Hoey, Hoy, Hue, Kehoe, Keogh, MacKeogh and many more.

Early Notables of the Hooey family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hooey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hooey family

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Hooey name: James Hoey who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1772; followed by William Hoey in 1803; Charles, Dennis, John, Michael, Thomas and William Hoey, all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1877.


Contemporary Notables of the name Hooey (post 1700) +

  • William Hooey Spinks (1873-1950), Canadian politician from Manitoba who served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1920 to 1932


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