Contents [hide]

Henley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Henley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Irish surname Henley comes from the Gaelic "Ó hAinle," which is derived from the word "ainle," meaning "beauty." 1

Early Origins of the Henley family

The surname Henley was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from ancient times and the surname emerged as an anglicized form of the Irish Ó hAinle.

Early History of the Henley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Henley research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1085, 1096, 1111, 1659 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Henley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Henley Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Henley family name include O'Hanley, Hanley, O'Hanly, Hanly, Henley, O'Henley, Henly, O'Henley, Hanlay and many more.

Early Notables of the Henley family

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

Henley Ranking

In the United States, the name Henley is the 1,428^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 2

Henley migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Henley to North America:

Henley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christopher Henley, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 3
John Henley, who landed in Virginia in 1658 3
Henry Henley, who landed in Maryland in 1667 3
John Henley, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 3

Henley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edmd Henley, who landed in Virginia in 1705 3
Samuel Henley, who settled in the Bay of Bulls in 1708
William Henley, who landed in Virginia in 1717 3
Ann, Dorothy, and Rebecca Henley all, who settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1725
Sigmont Henley, aged 41, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Henley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Henley, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 3
George Henley, who arrived in Alabama in 1858 3

Henley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Henley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Henley was a fish merchant at Greenspond, Newfoundland in 1776 4
Mrs. Esther Henley U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 306 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 5
Mr. Simon Henley U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswickc. 1783 5
Adjt. James Henley U.E. born in Maryland, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the Maryland Loyalists Regiment 5

Henley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Samuel Henley was a merchant of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1843 4

Henley migration to Australia +

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

Henley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Valentine Henley, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. John Henley, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
George Henley, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Thomas Henley, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. Thomas Henley, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Henley 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:

Henley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Henley, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Anne Longton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th October 1857 11
Mrs. Mary Henley, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Anne Longton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th October 1857 11
Miss Mary Henley, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Anne Longton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th October 1857 11
Mr. Patrick Henley, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Anne Longton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th October 1857 11
Miss Jane Henley (Henby), (b. 1837), aged 26, British domestic servant, from Middlesex travelling from London aboard the ship "Metropolis" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th June 1863 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Henley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12

Henley Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Alice Henley and husband settled in Jamaica in 1722

Contemporary Notables of the name Henley (post 1700) +

Donald Hugh "Don" Henley (b. 1947), Grammy award winning American rock musician, best known as the drummer and one of the lead singers and songwriters of the band the Eagles
Darren Henley (1959-2022), better known by his stage name D. H. Peligro, an American punk rock musician and drummer for The Dead Kennedys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ashley Henley (1981-2021), American politician, Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives (2016-2021)
Lawrence Joel "Larry" Henley (1937-2014), American singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing the 1989 hit record "Wind Beneath My Wings"
Captain Robert Henley (1783-1828), United States Navy officer, eponym of the USS Henley (DD-762)
Elizabeth Becker "Beth" Henley (b. 1952), American dramatist and actress awarded the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Etta M. Henley, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1948 13
Elizabeth L. Henley, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly 17th District, 2000 13
Debra Henley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 2008 13
Danny Henley, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 2004 13
... (Another 35 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Henley family +

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. Walter Henley (b. 1886), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died

The Henley 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: Saigeadoir collac abu
Motto Translation: The valiant archer for ever.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html