Show ContentsHinneman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the Hinneman family

The surname Hinneman 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 Hinneman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hinneman 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 Hinneman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hinneman Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Hinneman dating from that time include Downs, Down, Downe, Downes and others.

Early Notables of the Hinneman 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 Hinneman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hinneman family

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Hinneman or a variant listed above: 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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