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![Show Contents]() MacKney Surname History
- Origins Available:
 Ireland
The spelling and overall form of Irish names tend to vary widely. The original Gaelic form of the name MacKney is Mac Neidhe, which is derived from the word niadh, which means champion. Early Origins of the MacKney familyThe surname MacKney was first found in County Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Early History of the MacKney familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacKney research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1037 is included under the topic Early MacKney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. MacKney Spelling VariationsIn the days before Gaelic or English gained any significant semblance of standardization, the scribes who created documents simply recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research into the MacKney family history revealed numerous spelling variations of the name, including MacNee, MacNea, MacNay, MacKnee, MacNeigh, MacNia, Nee, Knee and many more. Early Notables of the MacKney familyMore information is included under the topic Early MacKney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 MacKney migration to the United States | + |
Ireland, as an English-controlled colony in the 19th century, suffered the loss of hundreds of thousands of its native people. The system of land ownership often did not sufficiently provide for the tenants who farmed the land. This was most clearly evidenced in the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. Previous years of great demand for grain products and livestock had run the land down. Many landowners foreseeing an upcoming crisis often removed families from the land or forced them to rely on pitifully small plots where only a subsistence living could be made. When the famines of 1845, 46, and 48 hit, many had nothing. Disease and starvation became widespread and families boarded ships for elsewhere any way they could. Those who went to America were instrumental in developing the industrial power known today: many Irish were employed in hard labor positions in factories and in building the bridges, canals, roads, and railways necessary for a strong industrial nation. Research of early immigration and passenger lists has shown that many bearers of the name MacKney:
MacKney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Margaret Mackney, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 1
- Mary Mackney, who landed in Virginia in 1701-1702 1
- 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)
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MacKney migration to the United States 
