Show ContentsMcEnally History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of McEnally

What does the name McEnally mean?

The original Gaelic form of McEnally was Mac an Fhailghigh, which is derived from the word failgheach, which means poor man.

Early Origins of the McEnally family

The surname McEnally was first found in counties Armagh and Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán) located in the Northern part of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McEnally family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McEnally research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1653, 1680 and 1697 are included under the topic Early McEnally History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McEnally Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McEnally can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include McNally, McAnully, McAnalley, McAnally and others.

Early Notables of the McEnally family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McEnally Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


McEnally migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the McEnally name:

McEnally Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry McEnally, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 1


  1. 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)


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