Contents [hide]

Birney History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Birney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The ancestors of bearers of the Birney family name are thought to have come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The name is derived from the place name Brennath, in Moray The village of Birnie was originally called Brenuth, from "brae-nut," which means "hazel trees." Natives of Birnie, using a local dialect, also called the village "Burn-nigh," which means near the burn river. This local name, particularly in medieval times, is prefixed by 'de', which means '"from."

Early Origins of the Birney family

The surname Birney was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, Scotland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Birney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birney research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1261 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Birney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birney Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Birnie, Birney, Birny, Birnye, Byrnye, Byrny, Berney, Birne, Byrne, McBirny, McBirnie, McBurny, McBurnie and many more.

Early Notables of the Birney family

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

Birney Ranking

In the United States, the name Birney is the 17,042^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Birney family to Ireland

Some of the Birney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birney migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Birney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Birney, aged 24, who arrived in New Jersey in 1812 2
Richard Birney, who landed in Mississippi in 1823 2
David Birney, who settled in Philadelphia in 1840

Birney migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Birney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Andrew Birney, aged 7 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Yorkshire" departing 9th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but he died on board 3
Mr. Berkley Birney, aged 4 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lotus" departing 15th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 24th June 1847 but he died on board 3
Miss. Bridget Birney, aged who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lotus" departing 15th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 24th June 1847 but she died on board 3
Miss. Catherine Birney, aged 4 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sobraon" departing 8th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th June 1847 but she died on board 3
Mr. Charles Birney, aged 22 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Agent" departing 20th May 1847 from New Ross, Ireland; the ship arrived on 2nd July 1847 but he died on board 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Birney migration to Australia +

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

Birney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Birney, (b. 1808), aged 18, Irish kitchen maid who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for 7 years for shop lifting, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Birney (post 1700) +

David Birney (1939-2022), American actor, known for his roles in Bridget Loves Bernie (1972), St. Elsewhere (1982), and Oh, God! Book II (1980)
Tom Birney (b. 1956), Scottish-born, American former NFL placekicker for the Green Bay Packers
James G. Birney (1792-1857), American presidential candidate for the Liberty Party
David Bell Birney (1825-1864), American businessman, lawyer, and Union General in the American Civil War
James Gillespie Birney (1792-1857), American abolitionist, lawyer, and politician, who was a Liberty Party presidential candidate in 1840
William Birney (1819-1907), American Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War
Mr. John Frederick William Birney C.B.E., F.R.S., (b. 1972), born in Paddington, London, England, English Joint Director for European Bioinformatics Institute, Professor of Bioinformatics at the University of Cambridge, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Computational Genomics and to Leadership across the Life Sciences by her Majesty The Queen 5
Reginald John "Jack" Birney (1928-1995), Australian politician
Earle Alfred Birney OC, FRSC (1904-1995), Canadian poet and novelist, born in Alberta, two-time Governor General's Award winer
Matt Birney (b. 1969), Australian politician, Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia (2005-2006)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Birney 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: Sapere aude, incipe
Motto Translation: Dare to be wise, begin at once.

Citations +

"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 65)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists