Nish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Nish

What does the name Nish mean?

On the western coast of Scotland and on the Hebrides islands the Nish family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from 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 Nish is a cognate of MacAngus and MacInnes.

Early Origins of the Nish family

The surname Nish 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 Nish family

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

Nish Spelling Variations

In various documents Nish has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacNeish, MacNeice, MacNish, MacNess, MacKness, MacNeece and many more.

Early Notables of the Nish family

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

Migration of the Nish family to Ireland

Some of the Nish 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.

Nish migration to Australia +

Nish Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Nish, English convict from Cumberland, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 1
Miss Christine Nish, (Doyle), Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 22nd January 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Nish (post 1700) +

Mike Nish (1959-2022), American racing driver who competed in the CART Championship Car series and competed in world land speed record events

The Nish 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.

Sources +

State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia