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Enright History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Enright History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Enright has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The Enright surname is derived from the Gaelic Mac Ionnrachtaigh, derived from either the word "ionnrachtach," which means "lawful," or a form of the word "indrecht," which means "attack." 1

Early Origins of the Enright family

The surname Enright was first found in Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

The Ulster and Hy-Maine branch claim descent from Colla da Chrioch. 2

Early History of the Enright family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Enright research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1107, 1172, 1583 and 1585 are included under the topic Early Enright History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Enright Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Enright were encountered in the archives: Enright, Enraghty, Enratty, Hanraghty, Hanratty, MacKenraght, MacEnraghty, Kenraghty, Kenratty, O'Hanraghty, O'Hanratty, O'Hanfey and many more.

Early Notables of the Enright family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

in Irish MacIonnrachtaig, Anglicized Hanratty and Enright, an Irish priest d. 30 April, 1585, at Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. He was the son of a silversmith at Kilmallock, embraced the ecclesiastical stat...

Enright Ranking

In the United States, the name Enright is the 4,517^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Enright migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Enright family came to North America quite early:

Enright Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Enright who settled in New England in 1803
Edward Enright, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 4
James Enright, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 4
Patrick, Daniel and John Enright, who all, who settled in Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860
John Enright, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Enright Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Michael J Enright, who landed in Arkansas in 1901 4
Patrick Enright, who landed in Arkansas in 1904 4

Enright migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Enright Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Dennis Enright, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1804
Patrick Enright, who was recorded in Ottawa, Canada in 1829
Michael Enright, who was in the customs house records for Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834
Michael Enright, aged 24, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
Johanna Enright, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Enright migration to Australia +

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

Enright Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Enright, (b. 1818), aged 20, Irish labourer who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 7 years for assault, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th May 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mary Enright, aged 19, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "David Malcolm" 6
Mary Enright, aged 24, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 7
Bridget Enright, aged 34, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Australia"
Michael Enright, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Escort"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Enright migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Enright Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Michael Enright, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
Helen Enright, aged 23, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
John Enright, aged 1, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
Mary Enright, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Thomas Enright, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Enright (post 1700) +

James Enright (1910-1981), American professional basketball referee
Elizabeth Enright (1909-1968), American children's author and illustrator
Barry Ryan Enright (b. 1986), American Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Thomas M. Enright, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Illinois superintendent of public instruction, 1938
M. J. Enright, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1904
John M. Enright, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 10th District, 1974
John J. Enright, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Detroit, Michigan, 1893-97
Jean L. Enright, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 2008
H. Frances Enright, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1996 (alternate), 2000
George W. Enright, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1916
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
South Australian Register Wednesday 5th January 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) David Malcolm 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/davidmalcolm1854.shtml
South Australian Register Thursday 29th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Trafalgar 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/trafalgar1854.shtml