Show ContentsDeeny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Deeny

What does the name Deeny mean?

The Picts of ancient Scotland were the tribe of the ancestors of the Deeny family. The name Deeny is derived from the personal name Dennis. Deeny is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Some patronyms were formed from the personal names of the father of the bearer, while others came from prominent religious and secular figures. The surname Deeny was first established in Lancashire, prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Early Origins of the Deeny family

The surname Deeny was first found in Stirlingshire at Denny, a town and parish. "This place, of which the name, derived from the Gaelic Dun, is descriptive of its situation on an eminence, originally formed part of the parish of Falkirk, from which it was separated about the year 1618. A considerable portion of the parish appears to have belonged to an establishment of Knights Templars which probably existed here or in the immediate vicinity, and the land is still known by the appellation of Temple-Denny. " 1

John Denny had a safe conduct into England in 1424 to trade with the Denizens. John Denny was a merchant of Glasgow in 1634. Peter Denny was the largest shipbuilder on the Clyde in his time, only to be overtaken by the great Brown's shipyard which built the Queens Mary and Elizabeth. 2

In England, "Denny has long been a Suffolk name. In the reign of Edward III., Roger le Denney held the manor of Denneys in Coddenham parish, which remained in the family for several generations. In 1541 Thomas Denny, Esq., owned Mells; and in 1562 the Dennys held estates in Bramfield. John Denye resided at "Lakyngh" in the hundred of Laokford in the 13th century." 3

Early History of the Deeny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deeny research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1500, 1501, 1537, 1539, 1541, 1544, 1546, 1549, 1609, 1612, 1613, 1631, 1635, 1642, 1651, 1652, 1653, 1654, 1668, 1676, 1706, 1713, 1785, 1800, 1802, 1804, 1810, 1811, 1821, 1838, 1842, 1856 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Deeny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deeny Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Deeny has been spelled Denny, Denney, Dennie, Denie, Denye, Deanney, Deannie and many more.

Early Notables of the Deeny family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deeny Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Deeny family to Ireland

Some of the Deeny family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Deeny migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Deeny:

Deeny Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Deeny, who arrived in Arkansas in 1884 4

Deeny migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Deeny Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Catherine Deeny, (b. 1854), aged 24, Irish cook from Donegal departing on 10th August 1878 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th November 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Deeny (post 1700) +

  • Michael Deeny, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996 5


The Deeny Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Et mea messis erit
Motto Translation: My harvest will also arrive.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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