McIlhenny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The surname McIlhenny comes from the Irish Mac Giolla Chainnigh, meaning the son of a servant or devotee of St. Canice, also known as St. Kenny. The place name Kilkenny, is also derived from the saint; in Irish it is Cill Chainnigh, meaning the church of St. Canice.

Early Origins of the McIlhenny family

The surname McIlhenny was first found in County Derry, where the sept was of the Cenel Eoghain group.

Saint Cainnech or Cannicus (d. 598?), was "Abbot of Achadh-bo, and the patron saint from whom Kilkenny (Cill-Cainnech) receives its name, has been generally identified with the more famous St. Kenneth or Kenny, to whom so many Scotch churches have been dedicated. Most of the early authorities state that he died between 598 and 600 A.D., at the age of eighty-four. This gives from 514 to 516 as the year of his birth." 1

The St. Canice branch of whom they were originally followers, came from Dromachose, County Derry. Of this branch, David de Kilkenny, was Bishop of Achonry, County Sligo (1312 to 1344.) Ironically the name is not taken from the town in Leinster or the county named Kilkenny. References to the surname were rare throughout history. 2

Early History of the McIlhenny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McIlhenny research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1690 and 1866 are included under the topic Early McIlhenny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIlhenny Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kilkenny, MacKilkenny, MacElhinny, MacElheeny, MacIlhenny and many more.

Early Notables of the McIlhenny family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McIlhenny Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIlhenny migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McIlhenny Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas McIlhenny, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833

McIlhenny migration to Australia +

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

McIlhenny Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Catherine McIlhenny, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3
Mr. James McIlhenny, British Convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 4

Contemporary Notables of the name McIlhenny (post 1700) +

Donald Brookes McIlhenny (1934-2023), American NFL football halfback for the Detroit Lions (1956), Green Bay Packers (1957-1959), Dallas Cowboys (1960--1961), and San Francisco 49ers (1961)
Samuel A. McIlhenny Jr., American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Santiago, 1932; Valparaiso, 1938-40 5
John Avery McIlhenny (1867-1942), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Louisiana State House of Representatives, 1900-04; Member of Louisiana State Senate, 1904-06; Member, U.S. Civil Service Commission, 1906-19 5
Francis S. McIlhenny, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 6th District, 1907-14 5

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html