Show ContentsHenesey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Henesey originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hAonghusa, which means "descendant of Angus." 1

Early Origins of the Henesey family

The surname Henesey was first found in County Offaly (Irish: Uíbh Fháilí) originally the Kingdom of Uí Failghe, located in central Ireland in the Province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Henesey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Henesey research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Henesey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Henesey Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Henesey were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Hennessey, Henasey, Henasay, Henchy, Henchey, Henchie, Hinchy, Hinchey, Hinchie, Henesey, Henessy, Henesy, Hennesey and many more.

Early Notables of the Henesey family

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


United States Henesey migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Henesey or a variant listed above, including:

Henesey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Dennis Henesey, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2
  • Maurice Henesey, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. 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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