Show ContentsHennessee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Hennessee originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hAonghusa, which means "descendant of Angus." 1

Early Origins of the Hennessee family

The surname Hennessee was first found in County Offaly (Irish: Uíbh Fháilí) originally the Kingdom of Uí Failghe, located in central Ireland in the Province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Hennessee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hennessee research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hennessee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hennessee Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Hennessee that are preserved in archival documents are Hennessey, Henasey, Henasay, Henchy, Henchey, Henchie, Hinchy, Hinchey, Hinchie, Henesey, Henessy, Henesy, Hennesey and many more.

Early Notables of the Hennessee family

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

Migration of the Hennessee family

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Hennessee name: William Hennesey who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1874; Edmund, Edward, James, Michael, Patrick and Robert Hennessey settled in Philadelphia between 1850 and 1870.


Contemporary Notables of the name Hennessee (post 1700) +

  • Elizabeth Lee Hennessee (1951-2016), American pioneer hedge fund manger
  • W. C. Hennessee, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1948 2


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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