Show ContentsDenney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The saga of the Denney family name begins among the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Denney name is derived from the personal name Dennis. Denney is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Some patronyms were formed from the personal names of the father of the bearer, while others came from prominent religious and secular figures. The surname Denney was first established in Lancashire, prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Early Origins of the Denney family

The surname Denney was first found in Stirlingshire at Denny, a town and parish. "This place, of which the name, derived from the Gaelic Dun, is descriptive of its situation on an eminence, originally formed part of the parish of Falkirk, from which it was separated about the year 1618. A considerable portion of the parish appears to have belonged to an establishment of Knights Templars which probably existed here or in the immediate vicinity, and the land is still known by the appellation of Temple-Denny. " 1

John Denny had a safe conduct into England in 1424 to trade with the Denizens. John Denny was a merchant of Glasgow in 1634. Peter Denny was the largest shipbuilder on the Clyde in his time, only to be overtaken by the great Brown's shipyard which built the Queens Mary and Elizabeth. 2

In England, "Denny has long been a Suffolk name. In the reign of Edward III., Roger le Denney held the manor of Denneys in Coddenham parish, which remained in the family for several generations. In 1541 Thomas Denny, Esq., owned Mells; and in 1562 the Dennys held estates in Bramfield. John Denye resided at "Lakyngh" in the hundred of Laokford in the 13th century." 3

Early History of the Denney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Denney research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1500, 1501, 1537, 1539, 1541, 1544, 1546, 1549, 1609, 1612, 1613, 1631, 1635, 1642, 1651, 1652, 1653, 1654, 1668, 1676, 1706, 1713, 1785, 1800, 1802, 1804, 1810, 1811, 1821, 1838, 1842, 1856 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Denney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denney Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Denney has appeared Denny, Denney, Dennie, Denie, Denye, Deanney, Deannie and many more.

Early Notables of the Denney family

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

Denney Ranking

In the United States, the name Denney is the 2,924th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Ireland Migration of the Denney family to Ireland

Some of the Denney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Denney migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Denney:

Denney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Denney, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1860 5
  • Mrs. Minna Denney, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
  • R. A. Denney, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1894
  • Frank Denney, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States, in 1894
  • Hattie Denney, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Denney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • George Denney, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1908
  • John Denney, aged 22, who settled in America from Newcastle, England, in 1910
  • Minna Denney, aged 55, who settled in America, in 1911
  • Joseph V. Denney, aged 51, who landed in America, in 1914
  • Mary Denney, aged 1, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1914
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Denney migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Denney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Margaret Denney 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

Australia Denney migration to Australia +

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

Denney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Denney, British Convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Denney (post 1700) +

  • Dan Denney, American designer of the Kitfox airplanes and founder of Denney Aerocraft, recipient of the EAA August Raspet Memorial Award in 1991
  • Thomas F. Denney (1874-1913), American politician from New York
  • Mike Denney, American Daytime Emmy Award, Directors Guild of America Award and Emmy Award winning television soap opera director
  • John Sifford Denney (b. 1978), American NFL football long snapper for the Miami Dolphins
  • Kevin Denney (b. 1978), American country music artist
  • Haven Denney (b. 1995), American pair skater, the 2013 World Junior champion and the 2012 U.S. national junior champion
  • Tom Denney (b. 1982), American musician, founding member and the ex-lead guitarist of A Day to Remember
  • Caydee Denney (b. 1993), American pair skater, the 2012 Four Continents silver medalist and 2012 U.S. national champion
  • Kyle Dean Denney (b. 1977), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians in 2004
  • Ryan Craig Denney (b. 1977), American NFL football defensive end
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Denney 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: Et mea messis erit
Motto Translation: My harvest will also arrive.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. 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)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. 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. 72)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle


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