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Irish surname

Carney: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Catharnaigh; Ó Cearnaigh; Mac Cearnaigh · Ó Catharnaigh: 'descendant of Catharnach' (warlike); Ó Cearnaigh: 'descendant of Cearnach' (victorious); Mac Cearnaigh: 'son of Cearnach' (victorious)

Woulfe (1923) lists Carney under three separate Irish surnames: Ó Catharnaigh, the old Meath family of Teffia whose head was known as 'The Fox'; Ó Cearnaigh, the name of three families (at Cashel, in Mayo and in Derry); and Mac Cearnaigh, whose original home appears to have been Ballymacarney in Co. Meath. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 49 entries including spelling varieties (48 spelled Carney), 21 of them in Mayo.

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Coat of arms associated with the Carney surname
Irish formÓ Catharnaigh; Ó Cearnaigh; Mac Cearnaigh
MeaningÓ Catharnaigh: 'descendant of Catharnach' (warlike); Ó Cearnaigh: 'descendant of Cearnach' (victorious); Mac Cearnaigh: 'son of Cearnach' (victorious)
CountiesMeath, Offaly, Mayo, Derry
Other spellings6

Origin of the Carney name

Three separate names per Woulfe: (1) Ó Catharnaigh, an old Meath family, chiefs of all Teffia, later of Muinntear Tadhgain (barony of Kilcoursey, Offaly), also called Sionnach, 'The Fox'; (2) Ó Cearnaigh: a Dalcassian family at Cashel, a Ui Fiachrach family in Mayo, and erenaghs of Derry; (3) Mac Cearnaigh of Ballymacarney, Co. Meath.[1][2][3]

  1. 1084Woulfe: Catharnach Sionnach (the fox), ancestor of the Ó Catharnaigh, was slain.[1]
  2. 1207Four Masters: 'Cathal, son of Rory, who was son of the Sinnagh (the Fox) O'Caharny, Lord of Teffia, died.'[7]
  3. 1233Four Masters: Niall Sinnagh O'Catharny, Lord of Teffia, wounded at Moin-crann-chaoin, died at his own house.[8]
  4. 16th centuryWoulfe: Mac Cearnaigh found chiefly in Down, Armagh and Donegal.[3]
  5. 189049 birth entries including spelling varieties (48 spelled Carney); 21 in Mayo.[4][5]

Where in Ireland

Co. MeathÓ Catharnaigh were 'an old Meath family'; Mac Cearnaigh's original home appears to be Ballymacarney.[1][3]
Co. OffalyÓ Catharnaigh patrimony narrowed to Muinntear Tadhgain, now the barony of Kilcoursey, in Offaly.[1]
Co. MayoÓ Cearnaigh of Ui Fiachrach held land in Moynulla and Balla; 21 Carney birth entries here in 1890.[2][4]
Co. DerryAn Ó Cearnaigh ecclesiastical family were formerly erenaghs of Derry.[2]
Co. DownWoulfe: in the 16th century Mac Cearnaigh was found chiefly in Down, Armagh and Donegal.[3]
Co. ArmaghWoulfe: in the 16th century Mac Cearnaigh was found chiefly in Down, Armagh and Donegal.[3]
Co. DonegalWoulfe: in the 16th century Mac Cearnaigh was found chiefly in Down, Armagh and Donegal.[3]

Notable people named Carney

Niall Sinnagh O'Catharnyd. 1233Lord of Teffia; wounded in the battle of Moin-crann-chaoin, he died at his own house (Four Masters).[8]

Other spellings

O'Caharney · O'Caherney · O'Kearney · MacCarney · Kearney · Carny[1]

The Carney coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Carney surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Carney crest gifts

Clan Carney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapUF94 Classic Cap - Carney Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Carney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Carney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap CM38 Carney Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Carney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00

Carney surname: questions

What does the surname Carney mean?

Woulfe gives it for three Irish names: Ó Catharnaigh, 'descendant of Catharnach' (warlike), and Ó Cearnaigh and Mac Cearnaigh, from Cearnach (victorious).[1][2][3]

Are Carney and Kearney the same name?

Sometimes. Woulfe lists both Carney and Kearney as forms of Ó Cearnaigh and Mac Cearnaigh, but gives only Carney (not Kearney) for Ó Catharnaigh, the Fox family of Teffia.[1][2][3]

Why are some Carneys linked with the name Fox?

Woulfe says the Ó Catharnaigh of Teffia were also known as Sionnach, from their ancestor Catharnach Sionnach (the fox), and the head of the family was called 'The Fox'.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Carney name from?

Woulfe calls the Ó Catharnaigh an old Meath family whose patrimony was later narrowed to the barony of Kilcoursey in Offaly; he places Ó Cearnaigh families at Cashel, in Co. Mayo and at Derry, and says the original home of Mac Cearnaigh appears to have been Ballymacarney in Co. Meath. In 1890, 21 of the 49 Carney birth entries (including spelling varieties) were in Mayo.[1][2][4]

Sources

  1. Ó Catharnaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-catharnaigh.php
  2. Ó Cearnaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cearnaigh.php
  3. Mac Cearnaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-cearnaigh.php
  4. Carney — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/carney.php
  5. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  6. Kearney — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/975.php
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1207 (part 4) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text004.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1233 (part 7) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text007.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).