Show ContentsFinnerty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Finnerty family

The surname Finnerty was first found in Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where the chief was anciently seated as one of the twelve Lords of Cruaghan in that county. Irish history was greatly influenced by the Norman invasion of 1172, and thereafter, the surnames of Irish Gaelic clanns and septs and many of the Norman families became almost indistinguishable. This family name was found later in Clannconon.where Teige Oge was the last Lord of Clannconon and Charles O'Finnaghty, his son, was the first to assume the surname. The line was descended from Muredach Maollethan, King of Connacht.

Early History of the Finnerty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Finnerty research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Finnerty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finnerty Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Finaghty, Finnarty, Finnerty, O'Finnerty, O'Finnaghty, O'Finnarty, Finnerly, O'Finnerly and many more.

Early Notables of the Finnerty family

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

Finnerty Ranking

In the United States, the name Finnerty is the 11,387th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Finnerty migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Finnerty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Harriet Finnerty, aged 28, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 2
  • Honor Finnerty, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1849 2
  • Edward J. Finnerty, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1875

Finnerty migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Finnerty Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Anthony Finnerty, aged 50 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Marchioness of Breadalbane" departing 11th June 1847 from Liverpool, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th August 1847 but he died on board 3
  • Miss. Bridget Finnerty who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Tom" departing 26th May 1847 from Bremen, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th July 1847 but she died on board 3
  • Mr. Dennis Finnerty, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Avon" departing 19th May 1847 from Liverpool, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th July 1847 but he died on board 3
  • Mrs. Ellen Finnerty, aged 60 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Marchioness of Breadalbane" departing 11th June 1847 from Liverpool, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th August 1847 but she died on board 3
  • Mr. John Finnerty, aged 4 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Goliah" departing 21st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 18th July 1847 but he died on board 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Finnerty 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:

Finnerty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Martin Finnerty, (b. 1848), aged 26, Irish farm labourer from Galway travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Finnerty (post 1700) +

  • Pat Finnerty (b. 1980), American musician and YouTube personality based in Philadelphia
  • John J. Finnerty (1879-1958), American barber and politician, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1935 to 1937 and from 1939 to 1945
  • Elise Finnerty, American producer, writer, director and actor, known for The Ones You Didn't Burn (2022), Bumbld (2018) and The Hunt (2018)
  • Dan Finnerty (b. 1970), American stage and film actor, member of the hit off-Broadway show Stomp in New York City.
  • Warren Finnerty (1925-1974), American actor, known for Cool Hand Luke (1967), Easy Rider (1969) and Injun fender (1974)
  • Jim Finnerty, award-winning American television producer
  • Cullen Finnerty (b. 1982), American football quarterback
  • Michael Barry Finnerty (b. 1951), American jazz guitarist, keyboardist and bassist
  • Peter Finnerty (1766-1822), Irish printer and publisher, and a United Irishman, the son of a trader at Loughrea in Galway 5
  • Pete Finnerty (b. 1964), Irish retired hurling coach and former player
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 75)
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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