Mawhinney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Mawhinney is Mac Suibhne, which is derived from the word "suibhne," which means "pleasant."

Early Origins of the Mawhinney family

The surname Mawhinney was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel. The name is derived from Suibhne O'Neill, who was a chieftain in Argyll, Scotland. His descendants migrated to Ireland as gallowglasses (mercenaries) prior to 1267. The three great septs of this name finally established themselves in Tirconnell in 14th century; they were known as MacSweeney Fanad, MacSweeney Banagh, and MacSweeney na dTuath, who were commonly referred to as 'MacSweeney of the Battleaxes.' They later became attached to the MacCarthys in the south and acquired their own territories and castles in Muskerry in County Cork.

Early History of the Mawhinney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mawhinney research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1299 and 1310 are included under the topic Early Mawhinney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mawhinney 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 Mawhinney that are preserved in archival documents are MacSweeney, MacSweeny, MacSwine, MacSwiney, MacSwyne, MacSwyny, MacWhinney, MacWhinny, MacWhinnie, MacSwiny, McSweeney, Swiney, Swinney and many more.

Early Notables of the Mawhinney family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was John MacSween, a 13th-14th century nobleman who lost his lands in Scotland after the defeat of the forces and death of Alexander Og MacDonald, Lord of Islay in 1299. In...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mawhinney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mawhinney 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 Mawhinney to North America:

Mawhinney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Mawhinney, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 1
Henry Mawhinney, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 1

Mawhinney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Thomas Mawhinney, aged 29, originally from Belfast, arrived in New York in 1900 aboard the ship "Oceanic" from Liverpool, England 2
Maggie Mawhinney, aged 28, originally from Dundee, Scotland, arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Furnessia" from Glasgow, Scotland 2
Agnes Mawhinney, aged 28, originally from Belfast, Ireland, arrived in New York City, New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 2
Agnes Mawhinney, aged 28, originally from Belfast, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Cedric" from Liverpool, England 2
Sarah Mawhinney, aged 51, originally from Dunbar, Scotland, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Cedric" from Liverpool, England 2

Mawhinney 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:

Mawhinney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Wilson Mawhinney, (b. 1956), aged 20, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 3
Mr. Wilson Mawhinney, (b. 1955), aged 21, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 3
Mr. Allan Mawhinney, (b. 1947), aged 29, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 3
Miss Margaret Mawhinney, (b. 1947), aged 29, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 3
Miss Mary Mawhinney, (b. 1864), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Westland" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd October 1883 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Mawhinney (post 1700) +

Charles Benjamin "Chuck" Mawhinney (1949-2024), United States Marine Corps sniper who holds the record for the most confirmed kills by a USMC sniper
Robert J. Mawhinney (1859-1954), American attorney, the last Solicitor of the United States Treasury (1926–1932)
Samuel L. Mawhinney, American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County, 1883-86 4
Isaiah Mawhinney (1830-1913), Irish-born, Canadian politician in Manitoba
Maxine Mawhinney, Irish newsreader on BBC News
Gordon Mawhinney (b. 1943), former politician in Northern Ireland
Brian Stanley Mawhinney (b. 1940), Baron Mawhinney, British Conservative Party politician

Historic Events for the Mawhinney family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. George Waring Mawhinney (1881-1914), Irish Third Class Passenger from Belfast, Ireland who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 5

Citations +

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 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html