Show ContentsMcGiness History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of McGiness

What does the name McGiness mean?

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 McGiness is Mag Aonghusa or Mag Aonghuis, which mean "son of Angus." 1

Early Origins of the McGiness family

The surname McGiness 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 McGiness family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGiness 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 McGiness History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGiness Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled with much consistency during the Middle Ages. As the many spelling variations of the name McGiness dating from that time attests: Genis, Guinness, Magennis, Guinnessy, McGuinness and many more.

Early Notables of the McGiness 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 McGiness Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


McGiness migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McGiness Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Peter McGiness, British Convict who was convicted in Bermuda for 14 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton


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