McAneny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The many Irish surnames in use today have long rich histories behind them. The name McAneny originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac an Airchinnigh, which means son of the erenagh. The word erenagh refers to a steward of church lands. This was originally an ecclesiastical task, but was later performed by laymen, becoming a hereditary trade. 1

Early Origins of the McAneny family

The surname McAneny was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where the MacInerny variant prevails.

The McEneany variant is "the name of two septs. That Co. Roscommon is almost extinct; that of Oriel is numerous under many variants. A study of this name which appeared in the Clogher Record (1960) presents evidence (which I have verified elsewhere) to prove that its Irish form is not the generally accepted Mac Conaonaigh but Mac an Dhéaghanaigh, earlier Mac an Déaganaigh." 1

"MacAneany, also written MacEneany and sometimes MacNeany, was changed to Bird by some families in County Monaghan, Louth and Meath." 2

Early History of the McAneny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAneny research. Another 214 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1365, 1393, 1398 and 1659 are included under the topic Early McAneny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAneny Spelling Variations

Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname McAneny that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are MacInerny, MacInerney, Nerney, Kinnerk, Nerheny, Nertney, Nirney, McNertney, MacNertney, MacNerney and many more.

Early Notables of the McAneny family

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

McAneny migration to the United States +

Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name McAneny or one of its variants:

McAneny Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James McAneny, aged 24, originally from Tyrone, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Furnessia" from Glasgow, Scotland 3
Rose Mc Aneny, originally from Tyrone, arrived in New York in 1899 aboard the ship "City of Rome" from Londonderry, Ireland 3

McAneny Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Rose McAneny, aged 30, originally from Tyrone, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "California" from Londonderry, Ireland 3
Barney Mc Aneny, aged 42, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Brandywine" from Port Lobos, Mexico 3
Rose Ann McAneny, aged 31, originally from Gortin, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Londonderry, Ireland 3
Barney McAneny, aged 42, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Brandywine" from Port Lobos, Mexico 3
Maggie Sue McAneny, aged 20, originally from Stragnul, Ireland, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 3

McAneny migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McAneny Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ms. Mary McAneny who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wellington" departing 29th July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th September 1847 but she died on board 4

Contemporary Notables of the name McAneny (post 1700) +

George McAneny (1869-1953), American newspaperman and politician, Manhattan Borough (1910-1913), Secretary of the New York Civil Service Reform League (1894-1902), and Executive Manager of The New York Times (1916-1921)
Joseph J. McAneny (1924-2007), American politician, Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1969-1970)
Rear Admiral Douglas J. McAneny USN,, American Commander of the Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet
Leonard G. McAneny, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Yonkers, New York, 1928 5
John B. McAneny, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1920 5

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
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. 86)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html