Kernighan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Kernighan

The original Gaelic form of the name Kernighan is Ó Cearnachain, which is derived from the word "cearnach," which means "victorious." 1

Early Origins of the Kernighan family

Early History of the Kernighan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kernighan research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Kernighan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kernighan Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Kernighan revealed many variations, including Kernahan, Kernaghan, Carnahan, Carnaghan and others.

Early Notables of the Kernighan family

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

Migration of the Kernighan family

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, 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 Kernighan or a variant listed above, including: Alexander Kernaghan who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1830; along with John (1840) and William(1856); Thomas Kernahan settled in Philadelphia in 1850.