Cleny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Cleny

What does the name Cleny mean?

The ancestors of the Cleny surname are thought to have lived in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The name Cleny was given to someone who lived in Gleney, or Glennie, in Braemar, Aberdeenshire. Glennie is a surname from the region around Aberdeen, and it was originally born by generations of tenant farmers in the districts of both Dee and Don. The surname Glennie, which was originally derived from Gaelic "gleann" which means "valley", was also given to someone who resided near a valley.

Early Origins of the Cleny family

The surname Cleny was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Cleny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cleny research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cleny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cleny Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Cleny has appeared as Glennie, Gleny, Glen, Glenney, Glenning, Glenny and many more.

Early Notables of the Cleny family

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

Migration of the Cleny family to Ireland

Some of the Cleny family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cleny family

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: John Glenney who settled in Philadelphia in 1856; followed by Michael and Robert; Bridget, Mary, and Patrick Glenning arrived in New York in 1804; Alexander Glenny arrived in Philadelphia in 1876.