McHaney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of McHaney

What does the name McHaney mean?

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name McHaney originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hEighnigh. 1

Early Origins of the McHaney family

The surname McHaney was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McHaney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McHaney research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McHaney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McHaney 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 McHaney revealed many variations, including Heaney, Heany, Hegney, Hegeany, Heagney, Heeney and others.

Early Notables of the McHaney family

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

McHaney Ranking

the United States, the name McHaney is the 12,776^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

McHaney 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 McHaney:

McHaney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Dan McHaney, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 3

McHaney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jane McHaney, aged 12, who arrived in New York in 1849 3
Matthew McHaney, aged 36, who landed in New York in 1849 3

Contemporary Notables of the name McHaney (post 1700) +

James M. McHaney, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1956 4
Hal McHaney, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1940 5
Flake McHaney, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1956 5

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html