Show ContentsEnis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Enis

What does the name Enis mean?

The name Enis is derived from the Gaelic "hAonghuis," a variant of "hAonghusa," which became O'Hennessy. Thus bearers of this name come from the same stock as the O'Hennesy Septs of Moyfenrath barony in Meath, and Philipstown barony in County Offaly. These Gaelic names mean 'the son of Angus,' and this distinguished Irish sept traces its origin back to King Laeghaire Lorc who reigned in 593 A.D.

Early Origins of the Enis family

The surname Enis was first found in County Kildare and the adjoining areas in Meath and Offaly, where bearers of the name have been found since the 16th century, when Irish names were being Anglicized.

"Ennis was formerly O'Hennis, which is Ó hAonghuis in Irish. In both those areas we find Ennis, then written Enos, Ennous (to mention only two of the many variants) very frequently in sixteenth century records." 1

Early History of the Enis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Enis research. Another 224 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1642, 1646, 1650, 1659 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Enis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Enis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ennis, Enos, O'Hennis, Hennis, Ennos, Ennes and many more.

Early Notables of the Enis family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Enis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Enis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Enis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Sara Enis, aged 27, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Spree" from Bremen, Germany 2
  • Elisabeth Enis, aged 1, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Spree" from Bremen, Germany 2
Enis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • William Enis, aged 38, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Allianca" from Canal Zone & Haiti 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Enis (post 1700) +

  • George Hunter Enis (b. 1936), former American collegiate and professional football quarterback who played from 1960 to 1962
  • Shalonda Enis (b. 1974), American former professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics and Charlotte Sting of the WNBA
  • Cleon William "Bill" Enis (1934-1973), American sportscaster from Tarrant County, Texas
  • Curtis D. Enis (b. 1976), former American running back in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons (1998-2001)
  • Enis Rodney Jenkins (1944-2024), American show jumping rider and member of the United States Equestrian Team, inducted into the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame, rode showed hunters and jumpers competitively (1960s-1980s), winning a record 70 Grand Prix-level competitions


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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