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In ancient Scotland, the ancestors of the Fineley family were part of a tribe called the Picts. The name Fineley is derived from the Gaelic Fionnlagh which is often Anglicized to fair hero.
The surname Fineley was first found in Banffshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhanbh), former Scottish county located in the northeasterly Grampian region of Scotland, now of divided between the Council Areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire, where they were descended from the Chiefs of the Clan Farquharson, one of the great federation of 26 Clans, known as the Clan Chattan.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fineley research. Another 214 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1547, 1629, 1755, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Fineley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Fineley has been spelled Findlay, Findlow, Findlaw, Finley, Finlay and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Fineley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Fineley: James Finley who settled in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1810; he was married at St. John's Newfoundland; Margaret Finlay settled at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in 1825.