Teirny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Teirny originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Tighearnaigh, which is derived from "tighearna," which means "lord."

"This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Tierney.' St. Tigernath or Tierney was an Irish saint of the 6th century, and third bishop of Clogher." 1 2

Early Origins of the Teirny family

The surname Teirny was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where their chiefs were the Lords of Carra. Over time, the name became scattered through Ireland, but pockets of the name can still be found in most counties of Mayo and Connacht.

"There were three septs of this name in Donegal, Mayo and Westmeath but it is now scattered. " 3 "Tierney is chiefly found in Dublin, Tipperary, and Galway, a very scattered name." 4

Early History of the Teirny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Teirny research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Teirny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Teirny Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Teirny that are preserved in archival documents are Tierney, O'Tierney, Tyernie, Tiernay, O'Tierny and others.

Early Notables of the Teirny family

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

Migration of the Teirny family

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Teirny: John Tiernay arrived in San Francisco in 1851; Bernard Tierney settled in Philadelphia in 1852 and 1880; James Tierney settled in Philadelphia in 1855.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print