McNamee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The original Gaelic form of McNamee was Mac Conmidhe, which means hound of Meath.
Early Origins of the McNamee family
The surname McNamee was first found in county Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
Early History of the McNamee family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McNamee research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McNamee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McNamee Spelling Variations
The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name McNamee revealed spelling variations, including McNamee, McNanamy, McNammee, McName, McNanny and others.
Early Notables of the McNamee family
Prominent amongst the family at this time was
McNamee Ranking
In the United States, the name McNamee is the 4,961st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1
McNamee migration to the United States +
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 McNamee name:
McNamee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Patrick McNamee, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 2
- John McNamee, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1845 2
- James McNamee, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
- Francis McNamee, who landed in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in 1852 2
- Bernard, Charles, Francis, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, and Thomas McNamee all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
McNamee migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
McNamee Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Patrick McNamee, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833
- Biddy McNamee, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833
- Patrick McNamee, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
- Patrick McNamee, aged 9, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
McNamee migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
McNamee Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Nicholas McNamee, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Trafalgar" in 1847 3
- Marcella McNamee, aged 39, a housekeeper, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Standard" 4
- Hugh McNamee, aged 25, a blacksmith, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Dirigo" 5
- James McNamee, aged 22, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"
- Julia McNamee, aged 24, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"
Contemporary Notables of the name McNamee (post 1700) +
- Luke McNamee (1871-1952), American admiral and 12th Naval Governor of Guam, recipient of the Navy Cross
- Joe McNamee (b. 1926), retired American professional NBA basketball player
- Graham McNamee (1888-1942), American radio broadcaster
- Ruth B. McNamee, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives, 1975-84 (63rd District 1975-82, 65th District 1983-84)
- Lawrence R. McNamee, American politician, Mayor of Monrovia, California, 1952
- John H. H. McNamee, American politician, Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1902-04
- Harry McNamee, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Ulster County 1st District, 1894
- Frank McNamee, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nevada, 1940
- Edward McNamee, American politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 13th District, 1930
- Deborah H. McNamee, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972
- ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the McNamee family +
- Mr. Neal McNamee (d. 1912), aged 27, English Third Class passenger from Convoy, Donegal, Ireland who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 6
- Mrs. Eileen McNamee (d. 1912), (née O'Leary), aged 19, English Third Class passenger from Salisbury, Wiltshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 6
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TRAFALGAR 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Trafalgar.htm
- South Australian Register Friday 14 October 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Standard 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/standard1853.shtml
- South Australian Register Thursday 23rd November 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Dirigo 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/dirigo1854.shtml
- Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html