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Minnis History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Minnis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Minnis

What does the name Minnis mean?

The west coast of Scotland and the rocky Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Minnis family. The root of their name is the personal name Naos, which is a dialectal form of Aonghus or Angus. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Neis, which is derived from the earlier form Mac Naois; both of these mean son of Angus. Thus, the name Minnis is a cognate of MacAngus and MacInnes.

Early Origins of the Minnis family

The surname Minnis was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Minnis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Minnis research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1522 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Minnis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Minnis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Minnis has appeared in various documents spelled MacNeish, MacNeice, MacNish, MacNess, MacKness, MacNeece and many more.

Early Notables of the Minnis family

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

Minnis Ranking

In the United States, the name Minnis is the 11,014^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Minnis family to Ireland

Some of the Minnis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Minnis migration to the United States +

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Minnis or a variant listed above:

Minnis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Day Minnis, who arrived in America in 1805 2
David Minnis, aged 23, who landed in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1805 2
Hugh Minnis, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 2
William Minnis, aged 25, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1823 2
David Minnis, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from Cavan, Ireland, in 1892
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Minnis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George E. Minnis, aged 36, who immigrated to America from Co Down, in 1904
Samuel Minnis, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Belfast, in 1906
Anna Minnis, aged 25, who landed in America from Portadoun, Ireland, in 1907
Mary Jane Minnis, aged 40, who landed in America from Carlisle, in 1907
Thomas J. Minnis, aged 26, who immigrated to America from Rothesay, Scotland, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Minnis migration to Australia +

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

Minnis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Minnis, (b. 1817), aged 40, Cornish housemaid travelling aboard the ship "Monica" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 18th August 1857 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Minnis (post 1700) +

Chelsey Minnis (b. 1970), American poet, winner of the 2001 Alberta Prize for Poetry
Tony Minnis, American head women’s tennis coach at Louisiana State University from 1992 to 2011
Joseph Summerville Minnis (1904-1977), American prelate, 6th Bishop of Colorado in The Episcopal Church, serving from 1954 until 1969
Jack Minnis (1926-2005), American activist and founder and director of opposition research for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the Civil Rights Movement era.
Karen Minnis (b. 1954), American politician, 63rd Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives (2003-2006)
Michael Minnis, American Daytime Emmy Award and Writers Guild of America Award winning television soap opera writer
Marvin "Snoop" Minnis (b. 1977), former professional American football wide receiver
John Minnis (b. 1953), former American Republican legislator and police officer
Helen Minnis, Scottish Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow where she studies reactive attachment disorder and other developmental conditions
William Minnis (b. 1902), Irish chess player, two-times Ulster Chess Championship winner (1939, 1945)
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Minnis Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Animo non astutia
Motto Translation: By courage, not by craft.

Citations +

"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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf