Heferyn History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of HeferynWhat does the name Heferyn mean? There are a multitude of ancient meanings and variations associated with the Irish surnames that are now common throughout the modern world. The original Gaelic form of the name Heferyn is Ó hIfearnain. Early Origins of the Heferyn familyThe surname Heferyn was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár), located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Early History of the Heferyn familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heferyn research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1719 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Heferyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Heferyn Spelling VariationsMany variations of the name Heferyn were found in archives from the Middle Ages. The spelling and language in which the people's names were recorded was often up to the individual scribe. Variations of the name Heferyn found include Heffernan, Heffernam, O'Heffernan, O'Heffron, Hefferen, Hefferney, Heffernon, Hefferon and many more. Early Notables of the Heferyn familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was Paul Hiffernan (1719-1777), Irish miscellaneous writer, born in or near Dublin in 1719. "His parents, intending him for the priesthood of the Roman Catholic church, sent him to a classical school in Dublin. When very young he went with... Migration of the Heferyn familyIn the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name Heferyn, or one of its variants: Patrick Hefferen settled in Alexandria Virginia in 1817; Bridget Hefferin settled in Pennsylvania in 1773; Edmund, Edward, John, Michael, Thomas and William Heffernan arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.
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