Show ContentsNee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The spelling and overall form of Irish names tend to vary widely. The original Gaelic form of the name Nee is Mac Neidhe, which is derived from the word niadh, which means champion.

Early Origins of the Nee family

The surname Nee was first found in County Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Nee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nee research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1037 is included under the topic Early Nee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nee Spelling Variations

Ireland in the Middle Ages was inhabited by very few literate people. Therefore, the proper spelling of names was decided by a very select few. The surviving records for the time demonstrate that these scribes were often not consistent in their efforts for there are many spelling variations of certain common names. Some of the variations for the name Nee include MacNee, MacNea, MacNay, MacKnee, MacNeigh, MacNia, Nee, Knee and many more.

Early Notables of the Nee family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • MacNee of Breadalbane

Nee Ranking

In the United States, the name Nee is the 11,178th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Nee is ranked the 6,074th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. [2]


United States Nee migration to the United States +

Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the late 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape such hunger and disease. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Nee:

Nee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Ludwig Nee, who arrived in Galveston, Tex in 1845 [3]
  • Thomas Nee, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 [3]

Australia Nee migration to Australia +

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

Nee Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Sarah Judith Nee, (Ney), (b. 1830), aged 21, Irish country servant who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Nee (post 1700) +

  • John Coleman "Johnny" Nee (1890-1957), American Major League Baseball scout and a minor league player-manager
  • Victor Nee, American sociologist, Frank and Rosa Rhodes Professor, and Director of the Center for the Study of Economy and Society at Cornell University
  • Kevin Nee (b. 1985), American professional Strongman athlete
  • Danny Nee (b. 1945), American head men's basketball coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy
  • Patrick "Pat" Nee (b. 1943), Irish-American immigrant, former member of the Mullen Gang
  • Kay Nee (1919-2010), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1964 [5]
  • Gerald J. Nee, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1972 [5]
  • Dan M. Nee, American politician, U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the 6th Missouri District, 1941-47 [5]
  • John Nee (b. 1923), Irish storyteller, actor, musician and playwright
  • Frédéric Née (b. 1975), French football striker


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackfriar
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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