McNerney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The many Irish surnames in use today have long rich histories behind them. The name McNerney 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 McNerney family

The surname McNerney 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 McNerney family

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

McNerney Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, surname were rarely recorded except by clerks, priests and registrars. As a name was spelt by scribes solely based on how it sounded, one's name could have been recorded many different ways during the life of its bearer. Numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name McNerney family name. Variations found include MacInerny, MacInerney, Nerney, Kinnerk, Nerheny, Nertney, Nirney, McNertney, MacNertney, MacNerney and many more.

Early Notables of the McNerney family

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

McNerney Ranking

In the United States, the name McNerney is the 13,708^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

McNerney migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name McNerney:

McNerney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick McNerney, who arrived in America in 1804 4
Terrence McNerney, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 4
Michael McNerney, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1854 4
Bridget McNerney, aged 14, who landed in America from Dublin, in 1893

McNerney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

James McNerney, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Armagh, in 1902
Bernard McNerney, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Drumlish, Co. Longford, Ireland, in 1906
Bernard McNerney, aged 21, who landed in America from Longford, Ireland, in 1906
Bridget McNerney, aged 18, who immigrated to America from Ballinamuck, Ireland, in 1906
Annie McNerney, aged 16, who settled in America from Esker, Co. Longford, Ireland, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McNerney migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McNerney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John McNerney, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Birman" in 1840 5
Patrick McNerney, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Birman" in 1840 5

Contemporary Notables of the name McNerney (post 1700) +

Megan McNerney, American Leukemia genetics researcher with the University of Chicago
Kathleen M. McNerney PhD, American researcher with the Department of Rehabilitation Science, University at Buffalo
Gerald M. "Jerry" McNerney (b. 1951), American engineer, energy specialist and politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (2013-)
Walter James "Jim" McNerney Jr. (b. 1949), American business executive, current Chairman and CEO of The Boeing Company
Dennis McNerney, American Democratic Party politician
David Herbert McNerney (1931-2010), United States Army soldier, recipient of the Medal of Honor
William V. McNerney, American politician, Mayor of Rockville, Connecticut, 1892-93
William McNerney, American politician, Village President of Franklin Park, Illinois, 1949-61
William McNerney, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Seymour, 1940
John P. McNerney, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Des Moines, Iowa, 1961-73 (acting, 1961-62)
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BIRMAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Birman.htm