| ![Show Contents]() McGinnity History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Ireland
Etymology of McGinnityWhat does the name McGinnity mean? Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the McGinnity family in Ireland was Ó Fionnachta, which is derived from the words "fionn," meaning "fair," and "sneachta," meaning "snow." 1 Early Origins of the McGinnity familyThe surname McGinnity was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, enjoying a common heritage with the O'Cahans and the O'Neills. They were descended from the Princes of Limavady in Derry, specifically Conchobhar (Connor) a younger brother of Niall Frasach, brother of the King of Ireland. Descended from Connor was Gruagan of the Grogans, Dungan, Cathan, Cathusach, Dermod, to his son Con Cionntach, who was first to assume the name of MacGinty, which anglicized is MacGinty and Ginty. Early History of the McGinnity familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGinnity research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGinnity History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McGinnity Spelling VariationsPeople who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname McGinnity that are preserved in archival documents are Maginty, MacGinty, McGinty, Ginty, Ginity, Maginnity, O'Ginty, Genty, MacGenty and many more. Early Notables of the McGinnity familyMore information is included under the topic Early McGinnity Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| McGinnity migration to the United States | + |
Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the McGinnity name:
McGinnity Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- George and James McGinnity who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850 and 1842 respectively
- Patrick McGinnity, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name McGinnity (post 1700) | + |
- Joseph Jerome McGinnity (1871-1929), nicknamed "Iron Man," an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played from 1899 to 1908, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946
- Father Gerard McGinnity (b. 1947), Irish Roman Catholic priest, Parish Priest of Knockbridge, County Louth, Ireland
- Peter McGinnity (b. 1953), former Gaelic footballer and manager
- Mike McGinnity MBE, British former chairman of Coventry City Football Club
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Felis demulcata mitis
Motto Translation: A stroked cat is gentle.
- MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
- 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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