Show ContentsHennaghint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Hennaghint appeared as Ó Dubhain, where the name means a "dark complexioned man." 1

Early Origins of the Hennaghint family

The surname Hennaghint was first found in County Clare, County Limerick and Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland. Some of the County Clare families were thought to have been regionally in County Cork. 2

O'Hart notes the family claims descent to the Heber line of ancient Irish kings through the O'Hara line. 1

Early History of the Hennaghint family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hennaghint research. Another 190 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1612, 1628, 1675, 1679, 1717, 1720, 1724, 1727 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Hennaghint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hennaghint Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Hennaghint can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Downs, Down, Downe, Downes and others.

Early Notables of the Hennaghint family

Notable among the family name at this time was William Ducie (c. 1612-1679), created 1st Viscount Downe in 1675; Andrew Downes, also known as Dounaeus, (c.1549-1628), English classical scholar, one of the seven translators of the...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hennaghint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hennaghint family

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Hennaghint name: Jane Downe who settled in Jamaica in 1685; John Downe settled in Barbados in 1685; another John Downe settled in Virginia in 1670; Robert Downe settled in St. Christopher in 1635.



  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)


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