Surname Henessy - Meaning and Origin
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Henessy: What does the surname Henessy mean?
The last name Henessy is an anglicized form of the Irish Ó hAonghusa, meaning "descendant of Aonghus". Aonghus is a Gaelic given name of considerable antiquity, with the meaning of 'one strength' or ‘one vigour’. Many variants of the surname stemming from the root of Aonghus exist, including the anglicized variations of Henessy, Hennessey, Hennes, Hennessy, and Hanify.
Henessy is originally derived from a once powerful and vast Gaelic dynasty, descended from the first century of historical Ireland. The Ó hAonghusa ancestors were believed to be a sept of the Uí Fiachrach, a kingdom known for its extensive and powerful wars with other rival Irish clans. The parts of Ireland where the Ó hAonghusa and their variant surnames are most commonly found include counties Mayo and Donegal, along with Dublin, Galway, and Cork.
As well as their historical connotation to power due to their warrior roots, the Ó hAonghusa had a strong spiritual significance to the ancient Irish people. Irish legend state that Aonghus, the founder of the clan and surname, was regarded as a High King of Eamhain, a mythical realm of the otherworld where the pagan gods of Ireland once resided.
Nowadays, the Henessy name is commonly associated with the well-known cognac brand of Hennessy. Despite this, due to the sheer number of Henessy related surnames, the name has likely now become extremely numerous across the world, representing many families who have descended from this once powerful Gaelic clan.
Order DNA origin analysisHenessy: Where does the name Henessy come from?
Henessy is a surname of early medieval Irish origin. It is derived from the native Gaelic O’hAonaigh sept that was located in Connacht Province in Northwest Ireland. It is the anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó hEanacháin, meaning “descendant of Eanachán”, an ancient personal name. The original founders of the sept were descended from the legendary Irish hero, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, and their descendants spread their sept throughout the island of Ireland.
Today, the surname Henessy still remains common in Ireland. In fact, in the 1990 Irish census, there were 719 people in Ireland with the Henessy surname. The greatest concentration of Henessy households is found in the County Mayo and County Galway regions.
Yet, the surname also has spread across the world. In the past two centuries, as Irish immigrants sought out new lives in places such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, large numbers of Henessy families left County Mayo and Galway for the new world. As a result, today the surname is also found in large numbers in places such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In the 2000 US census, there were approximately 2,802 people with this surname. In Canada, the surname is still most common in parts of Ontario and Quebec which were the primary destinations of Irish immigrants during the 1800s.
Variations of the surname Henessy
The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Henessy include Hennessey, Hennesseye, Hennessie, Henesy, Henesyy, Henissye, Henissye, Henissye, Hennesey, Hennesse, Henney, Henne, Hennee, Henneie, Hennesy, Hennesyy, and Hennesie.
Hennessey is the most common variant of the surname, and is derived from the Gaelic name Ó hAonghuis, which translates to "descendant o the thistle". The surname is derived from the Irish given name Angus, which is thought to be derived from a Celtic phrase meaning "unique choice" or "unique strength".
The surname Hennessey can also be derived from the medieval English given name of Henescey. This name is thought to have been derived from a combination of the Old English words for "high" and "sea" or "river" as a result of the migration of the Anglo-Saxons.
The variants Henessie, Henesy, Henesyy, Henissye, Henissye, Henissye, Hennesey, Hennesse, Henney, Henne, Hennee, Henneie, and Hennesie all may be derived either from the Irish given name Angus or the Old English given name Henescey. These spellings likely represent phonetically similar versions of the original surname and may represent different branches of the family.
Variants of Henessy may be found in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries with Irish and British heritage. These variants are also commonly encountered in countries to which Irish and British people have emigrated, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Famous people with the name Henessy
- David Hennessy, Chief Justice of Louisiana
- Roddy Hennessy, Irish Gaelic Footballer
- Brian Hennessy, retired Canadian Forces Lieutenant-General
- Peter Hennessy, British historian and academic
- Joe Hennessy, American Olympic wrestler
- Kathleen Hennessy, American screenwriter
- Daragh Hennessy, Irish actor
- Lola Hennessy, American TV host and entrepreneur
- TIm Hennessy, American TV producer and author
- Jack Hennessy, American actor and author