Kniseley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Kniseley

What does the name Kniseley mean?

The Clan from whom the Kniseley family descends began among the ancient Dalriadan kingdom of the west coast of Scotland. Their name comes from the personal name Naos, which is a dialectal form of Aonghus or Angus. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Neis, which is derived from the earlier form Mac Naois; both of these mean son of Angus. Thus, the name Kniseley is a cognate of MacAngus and MacInnes.

Early Origins of the Kniseley family

The surname Kniseley was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Kniseley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kniseley research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1522 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kniseley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kniseley Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Kniseley include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacNeish, MacNeice, MacNish, MacNess, MacKness, MacNeece and many more.

Early Notables of the Kniseley family

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

Migration of the Kniseley family to Ireland

Some of the Kniseley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kniseley family

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Thomas McNeish, who settled in Philadelphia in 1868; Michael McNish settled in Philadelphia in 1866.

Contemporary Notables of the name Kniseley (post 1700) +

W. H. Kniseley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1888 1

The Kniseley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Animo non astutia
Motto Translation: By courage, not by craft.

Sources +

The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html