Show ContentsMcAnaley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of McAnaley was Mac an Fhailghigh, which is derived from the word failgheach, which means poor man.

Early Origins of the McAnaley family

The surname McAnaley was first found in counties Armagh and Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán) located in the Northern part of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McAnaley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAnaley research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1653, 1680 and 1697 are included under the topic Early McAnaley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAnaley Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McAnaley 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 McNally, McAnully, McAnalley, McAnally and others.

Early Notables of the McAnaley family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McAnaley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McAnaley family

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the McAnaley name: Bernard, Biddy, Charles, George, Henry John, Michal, Patrick, Thomas and William McNally all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860; Daniel, Francis and Patrick McAnully all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.



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