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Irish surname

Henry: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó hInneirghe · 'descendant of Inneirghe' (the rising, early riser)

Woulfe (1923) gives Henry among the anglicised forms of Ó hInneirghe, 'descendant of Inneirghe', the name of a Cinel Eoghain family who were chiefs of Cuileanntrach in Co. Tyrone, and says the name is very common in Ulster. He also prints Henry among the forms of Mac Éinrí, 'son of Henry', the name of several distinct families. In 1890, Matheson counts 132 birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties (124 spelled Henry).

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Coat of arms associated with the Henry surname
Irish formÓ hInneirghe
Meaning'descendant of Inneirghe' (the rising, early riser)
CountiesTyrone, Antrim, Sligo
Other spellings3
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Henry crest gifts

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Origin of the Henry name

Woulfe: Ó hInneirghe, 'the name of a family of Cinel Eoghain, who were chiefs of Cuileanntrach, in Co. Tyrone'; 'very common in Ulster'. Separately, Mac Éinrí ('son of Henry', 'a very common name among the early Anglo-Norman settlers') lists Henry among its forms and is 'the name of several distinct families'.[1][2]

  1. 1156Four Masters: Ua hInneirghe, chief of the Cuileanntrach, is slain in an Ulidian attack on part of Muircheartach's army.[5]
  2. 1250Woulfe: Cian Ó hInneirghe is one of the chiefs who fell at the battle of Down.[1]
  3. 1254Four Masters: Aindiles O'Henery, 'tower of the valour of the north of Ireland', dies.[6]
  4. 1260Four Masters: Kian O'Henery is among the chieftains slain in the battle of Druim-dearg.[7]
  5. 1876Dr James Henry, Dublin physician and Virgil scholar, dies aged 77 (Webb).[8]
  6. 1890132 Henry birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties (124 spelled Henry).[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. TyroneWoulfe: Ó hInneirghe chiefs of Cuileanntrach; Matheson 1890 also lists Tyrone.[1][3]
Co. AntrimMatheson 1890: Henry 'principally found' in Antrim, Sligo and Tyrone.[3]
Co. SligoMatheson 1890: Henry 'principally found' in Antrim, Sligo and Tyrone.[3]

Notable people named Henry

James Henry1799–1876Born in Dublin in 1799; physician and scholar who from about 1848 travelled through Europe researching Virgil; his Æneidea appeared in 1873.[8]

Other spellings

Henery · Hendry · O Henry[1][4]

The Henry coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Henry 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.

Henry surname: questions

What does the surname Henry mean in Irish?

Woulfe gives Henry as a form of Ó hInneirghe, 'descendant of Inneirghe' (the rising, early riser), and also as a form of Mac Éinrí, 'son of Henry'.[1][2]

Is Henry an Irish or an English name?

Woulfe lists Henry under two entries: Ó hInneirghe, a Tyrone family of Cinel Eoghain, and Mac Éinrí, 'son of Henry', where he says Henry was a very common name among the early Anglo-Norman settlers and the Fitzhenrys of Wexford are Anglo-Norman.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Henry name from?

Woulfe says Ó hInneirghe were chiefs of Cuileanntrach in Co. Tyrone and the name is very common in Ulster. Matheson's 1890 index finds Henry principally in Antrim, Sligo and Tyrone.[1][3]

What do the annals say about the Ó hInneirghe family?

Four Masters: they name Ua hInneirghe, chief of the Cuileanntrach, in 1156, Aindiles O'Henery in 1254, and Kian O'Henery among the chieftains slain at Druim-dearg in 1260.[5][6][7]

Sources

  1. Ó hInneirghe — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hinneirghe.php
  2. Mac Éinrí — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/mace/mac-einri.php
  3. Henry — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/henry.php
  4. Henry — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/870.php
  5. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1156 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text026.html
  6. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1254 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text009.html
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1260 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text009.html
  8. Henry, James — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/JamesHenry.php

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