Fennessy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The Fennessy surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Fionnghusa, "descendant of Fionnghus," a personal name composed of the elements "fionn," meaning "fair," or "white," and "gus," meaning "vigor," or "force."

Early Origins of the Fennessy family

The surname Fennessy was first found in Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat as chiefs seated at Cashel of the Kings in that county. Irish history, after the Norman Conquest of England, was strongly influenced by the invasion of Strongbow in 1172, almost equal to the enormous Irish cultural impact on England Scotland, Wales and the whole of Europe before the Norman Conquest from the 1st to 7th centuries. Many Irish clanns and sept names were intermixed and family groupings became almost indistinguishable. This family name was found later in the county of Waterford.

Early History of the Fennessy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fennessy research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1747, 1874 and 1886 are included under the topic Early Fennessy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fennessy Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fannessy, Fennessey, Finessy, Finessey, Fenessy, O'Fennesy and many more.

Early Notables of the Fennessy family

More information is included under the topic Early Fennessy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fennessy migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fennessy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Fennessy, who settled in Massachusetts in 1852
Mary Fennessy, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855
Patrick Fennessy, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1879 1
David Fennessy, aged 26, who immigrated to America from Dublin, in 1892
Ellen Fennessy, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland, in 1893
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fennessy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

James Fennessy, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Cork, in 1904
David Fennessy, aged 32, who landed in America from Newcastle, Tipperary, Ireland, in 1907
Delia Fennessy, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States from Nenagh, Ireland, in 1907
Denis Fennessy, aged 19, who landed in America from Nenagh, Ireland, in 1907
Jeremiah Fennessy, aged 22, who landed in America from Lismore, Ireland, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fennessy (post 1700) +

Joan Fennessy, English former secretary of Hereford United
Carl Fennessy, Australian co-CEO of Shine Australia, an Australian production company based in Sydney in 2010
Sir Edward "Ned" Fennessy (1912-2009), English electronics engineer who led developments of early radar systems, managing director of British Telecommunications Research; he recruited Arthur C. Clarke as a radar technician
Leo Michael Fennessy (1907-1992), Australian politician, born at Warrnambool, Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Brunswick East

The Fennessy 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: Recte adhibito Deus adjuvat
Motto Translation: God will help us to do right

Citations +

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)