Meints History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Meints

What does the name Meints mean?

The surname Meints originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Miadhachain," which is derived from the word miadhach, meaning honorable. 1

Early Origins of the Meints family

The surname Meints was first found in County Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province, Originally, "Ó Miadhacháin, this is the name of at least two distinct septs; it is now equally distributed throughout the four provinces." 2

Early History of the Meints family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meints research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Meints History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meints Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Meints dating from that time include Meighan, Meehan, Meegin, Meeghen, Meegan, Meakin, Meakins, Mekins, Mehan, Mehen, Mehigan, Mehegan, O'Meighan, O'Meehan and many more.

Early Notables of the Meints family

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

Meints migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Meints or a variant listed above:

Meints Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ulrich Janssen Meints, who arrived in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1888 3

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)