Contents [hide]

Denny History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Denny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The age-old Pictish-Scottish family name Denny is derived from the personal name Dennis. Denny is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Some patronyms were formed from the personal names of the father of the bearer, while others came from prominent religious and secular figures. The surname Denny was first established in Lancashire, prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Early Origins of the Denny family

The surname Denny was first found in Stirlingshire at Denny, a town and parish. "This place, of which the name, derived from the Gaelic Dun, is descriptive of its situation on an eminence, originally formed part of the parish of Falkirk, from which it was separated about the year 1618. A considerable portion of the parish appears to have belonged to an establishment of Knights Templars which probably existed here or in the immediate vicinity, and the land is still known by the appellation of Temple-Denny. " 1

John Denny had a safe conduct into England in 1424 to trade with the Denizens. John Denny was a merchant of Glasgow in 1634. Peter Denny was the largest shipbuilder on the Clyde in his time, only to be overtaken by the great Brown's shipyard which built the Queens Mary and Elizabeth. 2

In England, "Denny has long been a Suffolk name. In the reign of Edward III., Roger le Denney held the manor of Denneys in Coddenham parish, which remained in the family for several generations. In 1541 Thomas Denny, Esq., owned Mells; and in 1562 the Dennys held estates in Bramfield. John Denye resided at "Lakyngh" in the hundred of Laokford in the 13th century." 3

Early History of the Denny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Denny research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1500, 1501, 1537, 1539, 1541, 1544, 1546, 1549, 1609, 1612, 1613, 1631, 1635, 1642, 1651, 1652, 1653, 1654, 1668, 1676, 1706, 1713, 1785, 1800, 1802, 1804, 1810, 1811, 1821, 1838, 1842, 1856 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Denny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denny Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Denny has appeared Denny, Denney, Dennie, Denie, Denye, Deanney, Deannie and many more.

Early Notables of the Denny family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Sir William Denny, 1st Baronet of Gillingham in the County of Norfolk (died 1676)
Sir Edmund Denny, chief Baron of the Exchequer
Sir Anthony Denny (1501-1549), member of the Privy chamber of King Henry VIII

Denny Ranking

In the United States, the name Denny is the 1,886^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Denny family to Ireland

Some of the Denny family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denny migration to the United States +

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Denny:

Denny Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Denny, aged 24, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Defence" 5
Edward Denny, who landed in New England in 1637 5
Thomas Denny from Combs, Devon, England settled in Leicester, Massachusetts in 1646
Adam Denny, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 5
Jane Denny, who landed in Virginia in 1657 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denny Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicholas Denny, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 5
Major Denny, who landed in New England in 1728 5
Mary Denny, who settled in Maryland in 1736
Joh Bernhart Denny, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 5
Mary Denny, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denny Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Denny, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 5
Alex Denny, who landed in America in 1823 5
Christian Denny, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1835 5
George Denny, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 5
Catherine, Charles, Dennis, James, John, Mary, Robert, Thomas, and William Denny, all, who settled in Pennsylvania between 1796 and 1868
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denny migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Denny Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Charles Denny, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834

Denny migration to Australia +

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

Denny Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Denny, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. William Denny, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Thomas Denny, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Peter Denny, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Elizabeth Denny, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Glen Huntley" in 1849 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denny 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:

Denny Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Julia Denny, aged 16, a housemaid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Ellen Denny, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Miss Ann E Denny, (b. 1851), aged 24, English house keeper from Suffolk travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Denny (post 1700) +

Martin Denny (1911-2005), American piano-player and composer
David Thomas Denny (1832-1903), American member of the Denny Party, generally credited as the founders of Seattle, Washington
William H. P. Denny (1811-1890), American newspaper editor and publisher
Martin Denny (1911-2005), American pianist and composer
John Allen Denny (b. 1952), former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher
Jeremiah Dennis "Jerry" Denny (1859-1927), American Major League Baseball player
Harmar Denny (1794-1852), American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1824 to 1829
Ebenezer Denny (1761-1822), American soldier in the American Revolutionary War, first Mayor of Pittsburgh, from 1816 to 1817
Arthur Armstrong Denny (1822-1899), American leader of the Denny Party who founded Seattle, Washington
Peter Denny (1821-1895), Scottish shipbuilder and shipowner based from Dumbarton, Scotland, founder of William Denny and Brothers Limited
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Denny Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Et mea messis erit
Motto Translation: My harvest will also arrive.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The GLEN HUNTLEY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849GlenHuntly.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html