| ![Show Contents]() Finnie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of FinnieWhat does the name Finnie mean? The name Finnie originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Fiannaidhe. This name, which was Ó Feinneadha in its earlier form, refers to a soldier. 1 Early Origins of the Finnie familyThe surname Finnie was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, and where their territories were Ballyfeeney and in Roscommon. Moving north into Ulster the name became Finney. This branch also moved into southwest Scotland from about the 15th century. Early History of the Finnie familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Finnie research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1509, 1541, 1551, 1640 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Finnie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Finnie Spelling VariationsNames written in official documents were generally spelt as they sounded, leading to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion in records of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Finnie that are preserved in documents of the family history are Finney, Feeney, Finnay, Finny, Fynnie, Fynney, Feenay, Feeny, Feaney, Feanay, Feany and many more. Early Notables of the Finnie familyMore information is included under the topic Early Finnie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Finnie RankingIn the United States, the name Finnie is the 15,198th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
| Finnie migration to the United States | + |
In the late 18th century, Irish families began emigrating to North America in the search of a plot of land to call their own. This pattern of emigration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s cause thousands of Irish to flee the death and disease that accompanied the disaster. Those that made it alive to the shores of the United States and British North America (later to become Canada) were, however, instrumental in the development of those two powerful nations. Many of these Irish immigrants proudly bore the name of Finnie:
Finnie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Alexander Finnie, who landed in Virginia in 1724 3
Finnie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Mary Finnie, who settled in New York State in 1821 with four children
- Mary Finnie, aged 40, who landed in New York, NY in 1821 3
- John Finnie, who landed in Michigan in 1855 3
| Finnie migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Finnie Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
| Finnie migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Finnie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Peter Finnie, (Tinnie, Tennie, Fennie), (b. 1789), aged 45, Scottish labourer who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
- Mr. James Finnie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 6
| Finnie migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Finnie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. John Finnie, British settler as part of the 8th Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 7
- Mrs. Jessie Finnie, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 7
- Mr. Edward Finnie, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in January 1863 7
- Jessie Finnie, aged 17, a housemaid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 8
| Contemporary Notables of the name Finnie (post 1700) | + |
- William Finnie, American mayor of Williamsburg, Virginia (1783 to 1784)
- Roger Finnie (b. 1945), American NFL football offensive tackle
- Thomas Finnie, American politician, Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention from Kendall County, 1862 9
- John Finnie, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 1st District, 1911-12 9
- William Finnie (1827-1899), Scottish liberal politician and member of parliament
- Ross Finnie (b. 1947), Scottish politician
- Linda Finnie (b. 1952), Scottish mezzo-soprano
- Dave Finnie (1883-1967), Canadian ice hockey goaltender, Stanley Cup winner
- MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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