Brehony History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Brehony

What does the name Brehony mean?

The roots of the Brehony surname are linked to a set of 4,000 year old Irish law, known as the Brehon Law. There were no judges or lawyers, but the arbitrators whose responsibility it was to settle disagreements based on these laws were known as Brehons.

Early Origins of the Brehony family

The surname Brehony was first found in Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh), the former Kingdom of Osraige (Ossory), located in Southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat as judges and scholars. Irish history was greatly influenced by the Norman invasion of 1172, and thereafter, the surnames of Irish Gaelic clanns and septs and many of the Norman families became almost indistinguishable. This ancient Irish family name was found later in Sligo represented another early reference to the name.

Early History of the Brehony family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brehony research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brehony History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brehony Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brehon, Brehane, Brehany, Brehaney, Breheny, Brehony, MacBreheny and many more.

Early Notables of the Brehony family

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

Brehony migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brehony Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Catherine Brehony, who arrived in New York in 1861
James J. Brehony, aged 58, who landed in America, in 1895

Brehony Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Delhi Brehony, aged 28, who landed in America, in 1903
Kate Brehony, aged 25, who settled in America from Boyle, Ireland, in 1913
Ellen Brehony, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, Ireland, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Brehony (post 1700) +

Pádraig Brehony (b. 1993), Irish hurler, a forward for the Galway senior team (2012-)
Theodorakis "Theo" Brehony, British songwriter, known for his work on "Push Up," a single by the British electronic music group Freestylers