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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

Birney is a name that dates back to the kingdom of Dalriada in ancient Scotland. It was given to someone who lived in Brennath in Moray, where the name became Birnie. Birnie is a parish in the county of Elgin. "This place is said by some to have been the site of the first cathedral of the diocese of Moray; and it is probable that Simeon de Tonei, one of the bishops, was buried here, in 1184". 1

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." 2

During the Middle Ages, the Birney family became a part of the landed gentry and they wielded considerable prestige and influence in the region of the Scottish borderlands.

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, where Birnie Kirk, a Church of Scotland church built c. 1140 is still found today. It was the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray. The church is one of the oldest in Scotland to have been in continuous use through the centuries.

"James de Brennath (the early form of the place name), burgess of Elgin, was one of an inquest concerning the King's garden there in 1261. William de Brennath, dictus Tatenel, witnessed the gift by Hugh Herock, burgess of Elgin, to the church of Elgin in 1286, and Andrew de Bienach was clerk to Sir Dovenald, earl of Mar in 1291. Walter de Branach was the king's chaplain in Moray, 1360. William de Byrneth, canon of the church of Moray, appears as a witness in 1463, Nicholas Birne was a chaplain in 1514, and William Byrny was burgess of Edinburgh in 1558." 3

Birnie Loch is a man-made loch located in North East Fife from a flooded gravel pit. Birnie Island is a small, uninhabited coral island, 20 hectares in area, part of the Phoenix Island group in central Pacific ocean named after the London firm Alexander Birnie & Co in 1823.

The MacBirnie (MacBurnie and MacBurney) variant was first found in 1466 when David M'Birny was a witness in Kirkcudbright. 3

Early History of the Birney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birney research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1500, 1520, 1563, 1584, 1591, 1619, 1680 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Birney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birney Spelling Variations

Spelling in the medieval era was a highly imprecise process. Translation, particularly from Gaelic to English, was little better. For these reasons, early Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. In various documents Birney has been spelled Birnie, Birney, Birny, Birnye, Byrnye, Byrny, Berney, Birne, Byrne, McBirny, McBirnie, McBurny, McBurnie and many more.

Early Notables of the Birney family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are 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. 4

Migration of the Birney family to Ireland

Some of the Birney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) 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 +

Many of the ancestors of Dalriadan families who arrived in North America still live in communities along the east coast of Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence many of the original settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the ancestors of many Scots began recovering their collective national heritage through Clan societies, highland games, and other patriotic events. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Birney or a variant listed above:

Birney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Birney, aged 24, who arrived in New Jersey in 1812 5
Richard Birney, who landed in Mississippi in 1823 5
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 6
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 6
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 6
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 6
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 6
... (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 7

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
Robin Birney (b. 1984), Scottish rock musician
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 8
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
... (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 +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
"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