McName History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of McName

What does the name McName mean?

The original Gaelic form of McName was Mac Conmidhe, which means hound of Meath.

Early Origins of the McName family

The surname McName was first found in county Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McName family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McName research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McName History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McName Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the McName family name include McNamee, McNanamy, McNammee, McName, McNanny and others.

Early Notables of the McName family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

McNamee of Tyrone

McName migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name McName to North America:

McName Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John McName, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1838
Patrick McName, who arrived in Mississippi in 1854 1

Citations +

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)