Show ContentsGlenna History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The rugged west coast of Scotland in the kingdom of Dalriada is the setting from which came the Glenna name. The name derives from someone having lived in Gleney, or Glennie, in Braemar, Aberdeenshire. Glennie is a surname from the region around Aberdeen, and it was originally born by generations of tenant farmers in the districts of both Dee and Don. The surname Glennie, which was originally derived from Gaelic "gleann" which means "valley", was also given to someone who resided near a valley.

Early Origins of the Glenna family

The surname Glenna was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Glenna family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Glenna research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Glenna History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Glenna Spelling Variations

In various documents Glenna has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Glennie, Gleny, Glen, Glenney, Glenning, Glenny and many more.

Early Notables of the Glenna family

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

Ireland Migration of the Glenna family to Ireland

Some of the Glenna 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.

Migration of the Glenna family

Numerous Scottish settlers settled along the east coast of the colonies that would become the United States and Canada. Others traveled to the open country of the west. At the time of the American War of Independence, some remained in the United States, while those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The highland games and Clan societies that sprang up across North America in the 20th century have helped many Scots to recover parts of their lost traditions. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Glennas to arrive in North America: John Glenney who settled in Philadelphia in 1856; followed by Michael and Robert; Bridget, Mary, and Patrick Glenning arrived in New York in 1804; Alexander Glenny arrived in Philadelphia in 1876.


Contemporary Notables of the name Glenna (post 1700) +

  • Glenna Maxey Goodacre (1939-2020), American sculptor, best known for having designed the obverse of the Sacagawea dollar and the Vietnam Women's Memorial, mother of 1980s supermodel Jill Goodacre
  • Glenna Sue Kidd (1933-2017), American pitcher and infielder who played from 1950 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • Glenna Fletcher, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 2004 1
  • Glenna Hansen (b. 1956), Canadian Inuvialuit politician


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, September 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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