Keney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Keney

The Keney surname in Ireland comes from the Gaelic Ó Coinnigh, which was an old Irish first name, made popular by a 6th century monk of the name, whose "church of Coinneach" became the name of the town Kilkenny.

Early Origins of the Keney family

Early History of the Keney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keney research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keney Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Keney revealed many variations, including Kenny, O'Kenny, Kenney, Kennie and others.

Early Notables of the Keney family

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

Migration of the Keney family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Keney or a variant listed above, including: Edmund Kenny, who settled in Virginia in 1635; John Kenny, who settled in Virginia in 1771; Richard Kenny, who settled in Virginia in 1637; as well as Daniel, Francis, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Richard, Thomas, and William Kenny, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..