MacConaghy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The original Gaelic form of the name MacConaghy is Óconnachtaigh. This name can be considered a place name as it indicates that its original bearer inhabited Connaught. The prefix O, meaning '"grandson of" indicates descent from the original bearer.

Early Origins of the MacConaghy family

The surname MacConaghy was first found in County Donegal with the MacSweenys. That name is derived from Suibhne O'Neill, who was a chieftain in Argyll, Scotland. His descendants migrated to Ireland as gallowglasses (mercenaries) prior to 1267. The three great septs of this name finally established themselves in Tirconnell in 14th century; they were known as MacSweeney Fanad, MacSweeney Banagh, and MacSweeney na dTuath, who were commonly referred to as 'MacSweeney of the Battleaxes.'

Early History of the MacConaghy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacConaghy research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the year 1893 is included under the topic Early MacConaghy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacConaghy Spelling Variations

The archives that survive today demonstrate the difficulty experienced by the scribes of this period in their attempts to record these names in writing. Spelling variations of the name MacConaghy dating from that time include Conaty, O'Conaty, Connaghty, Connoty, MacConaghy, MacConkey and many more.

Early Notables of the MacConaghy family

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

MacConaghy migration to the United States +

The 18th century saw the slow yet steady emigration of Irish families to British North America and the United States. Those early Irish settlers that left their homeland were typically moderately well off: they were enticed by the promise of a sizable plot of land. However, by the 1840s, this pattern of immigration was gone: immigrants to North America were seeking refuge from the starvation and disease that the Great Potato Famine of that decade brought. The great numbers of Irish that arrived to the United States and the soon to be Canada were instrumental in their quick development as powerful industrial nations. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists uncovered many early immigrants bearing the name MacConaghy:

MacConaghy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alex MacConaghy, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1

Citations +

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)