Show ContentsHenney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Henney originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hEighnigh. [1]

Early Origins of the Henney family

The surname Henney was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Henney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Henney research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Henney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Henney Spelling Variations

Because early scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded, a person could have many various spellings of his name.Many different spelling variations of the surname Henney were found in the archives researched. These included Heaney, Heany, Hegney, Hegeany, Heagney, Heeney and others.

Early Notables of the Henney family

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


United States Henney migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish left in their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries to escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, and in the search of a plot of land to call their own. These immigrants arrived at the eastern shores of North America, early on settling and breaking the land, and, later, building the bridges, canals, and railroads essential to the emerging nations of United States and Canada. Many others would toil for low wages in the dangerous factories of the day. Although there had been a steady migration of Irish to North America over these years, the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Henney or a variant listed above:

Henney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Henney, aged 18, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1779 [2]
Henney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Henney, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 [2]
  • Peter Henney, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 [2]
  • John Henney, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1834 [2]

Australia Henney migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Henney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Henney, (b. 1821), aged 19, English sheep drover who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 15 years for wounding with intent, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1874 [3]
  • Mr. Thomas Henney, Welsh convict who was convicted in Monmouthshire, Wales for 15 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Henney (post 1700) +

  • Katie Henney (b. 1993), American child actress, best known for her role as Elizabeth Cole in Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005)
  • Jane Ellen Henney (b. 1947), American physician, the first woman to serve as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • Charles William Francis Henney (1884-1969), American politician, Member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin (1933 to 1935)
  • Dagmar Renate Kirchner Henney (b. 1931), German-born, American mathematician
  • Daniel Phillip Henney (b. 1979), American actor and model
  • William Franklin Henney (b. 1852), American Republican politician, Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, 1904-08; Member of Republican National Committee from Connecticut, 1913-16 [5]
  • P. J. Henney, American Democratic Party politician, Burgess of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, 1933-37; Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 45th District, 1937-40 [5]
  • Charles William Francis Henney (1884-1969), American Democratic Party politician, Physician; U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 2nd District, 1933-35; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1940, 1944 [5]


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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