MacGinnis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

While many of Irish names are quite familiar to most, their original Gaelic forms are often forgotten and mysterious. The original Gaelic form of the name MacGinnis is Mag Aonghusa or Mag Aonghuis, which mean "son of Angus." 1

Early Origins of the MacGinnis family

The surname MacGinnis was first found in County Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the MacGinnis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacGinnis research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1539, 1543, 1584, 1640, 1703, 1759, 1797, 1798 and 1868 are included under the topic Early MacGinnis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacGinnis Spelling Variations

In the days before Gaelic or English gained any significant semblance of standardization, the scribes who created documents simply recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research into the MacGinnis family history revealed numerous spelling variations of the name, including Genis, Guinness, Magennis, Guinnessy, McGuinness and many more.

Early Notables of the MacGinnis family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Hugo Magennis (d. 1640) who was the Franciscan Bishop of Down and Connor; the second Viscount Iveagh, Brian Magennis who was killed in action in 1703; Richard and Richard the...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacGinnis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacGinnis migration to the United States +

North America received thousands of Irish immigrants from the English-ruled Ireland during the 19th century. Once in the United States or what would become Canada, these immigrants quickly contributed to the ongoing settling and industrialization processes. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. An exhaustive examination of immigrant and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the surname of MacGinnis:

MacGinnis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bernard MacGinnis, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 2
Daniel MacGinnis, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
Ellen MacGinnis, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
Henry MacGinnis, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
John MacGinnis, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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)