Pronunciation | /ˈkɛnɪdi/ |
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Language(s) | Gaelic, Irish |
Origin | |
Meaning | Derived either from Ó Cinnéide meaning grandson of Cinnédidh, or “ceann” and “éidigh”. “Ceann” comes from the Gaelic word meaning “chieftain” (a leader of a clan or tribe), and “éidigh” comes from the Gaelic word meaning “helmet”. The name can be translated to mean “helmeted chief or leader”. |
Region of origin | Ireland and Scotland |
Other names | |
Related names | O'Kennedy and Kennedie |
Kennedy, with variant forms O'Kennedy and Kennedie, is a surname of Irish origin that has also been used as a given name.
There have been several etymologies given for the surname. One is that the name is an Anglicisation of Ó Cinnéide, which means "grandson of Cinnédidh" or "grandson of Cinnéidigh". Both of these personal names are derived from Gaelic words meaning "helmet-headed". [1] Ceanéidigh could be related to the old Gaelic name Cennétig, which is known from Cennétig mac Lorcáin, the father of the Irish high king Brian mac Cennétig, who was also known as Brian Bóruma or Brian Boru. There is an Irish Kennedy family and a Scottish Kennedy clan in Carrick, Ayrshire, which are unrelated to one another.
Another possibility is that Kennedy is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Ó Ceannéidigh, meaning "grandson of Ceannéidigh". Ceannéidigh is a given name derived from the Gaelic words ceann, meaning "head", and éidigh, meaning "ugly" or "fierce". [2] Some etymologies also suggest that the element ceann could mean "chief" or "leader". [3]
Boyle is an Irish, Scottish and English surname of Gaelic or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include:
Doyle is a surname of Irish origin. The name is a back-formation from O'Doyle, which is an Anglicisation of the Irish Ó Dubhghaill, meaning "descendant of Dubhghall". There is another possible etymology: the Anglo-Norman surname D'Oyley with agglutination of the French article de. It means 'from Ouilly', the name of a knight who originated from one of the places named Ouilly in Normandy, such as Ouilly-le-Tesson, Ouilly-le-Vicomte, etc. The relationship with the family D'Oyly is unknown.
Clancy is an Irish name coming from the Gaelic Mac Fhlannchaidh/Mac Fhlannchadha, meaning "Son of the red/ruddy warrior", or as a hypocorism for Clarence. The surname originated from two different families, one in Thomond and one in the present day County Leitrim.
Boyd is an ancient Scottish surname.
The surname Collins has a variety of likely origins in Britain and Ireland:
Conroy is an Irish surname.
McManus is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Mac Mághnais", in modern Irish "McMaghnuis" which means "Son of Magnus". Its earlier origin is from the Latin "magnus", meaning "great". The Normans used it to honour Charlemagne (742–814), as Carolus Magnus. Variant spellings of the name include MacManus, Manus and MacManners. The English form, Moyne, is also found in Ulster. In Scotland it is a sept of Clan Colquhoun.
Johnston is in most cases a toponymic surname derived from several places in Scotland. Historically, the surname has been most common throughout Scotland and Ireland.
Kerr is an English and Scottish surname, a topographic name for someone who lived by a marsh or swampy woodland. Middle English kerr means ‘brushwood wet ground.’ See Clan Kerr for the Scottish origins.
The etymology of the surname Morrison is either Anglo-Norman, commonly found throughout England, Scotland and Ireland, or from the Clan Morrison, a Scottish clan originally from Sutherland and the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.
The surname Patrick has distinct Irish, Scottish, and English origins. In many cases it derives from the Anglo-Norman French, Middle English, and Older Scots personal name Patrick or as an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Phádraig, "son of Patrick". All have a common origin in the Latin Patricius, itself meaning patrician and entering these languages via the Old Irish Patraicc. In others, the surname Patrick is a shortened form of the surnames Mulpatrick and Fitzpatrick. Many instances of Patrick as a surname appear in Ireland due to Scottish emigration. It can also be a form of the English surname Partridge or an Americanization of several Slavic names. People with the surname Patrick include:
Duffy is a surname of Irish origin that comes from the original Irish name Ó Dubhthaigh, meaning descendant of Dubthach. Dubthach was an Old Irish first name meaning "black".
Burke is a Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh had the surname de Burgh, which was gaelicised in Irish as de Búrca and over the centuries became Búrc, then Burke, and Bourke.
Martin may either be a given name or surname. In Scotland, Martin or McMartin is a common surname of Scottish Gaelic origin. Martin is, however, more common as a masculine given name in many languages and cultures. It comes from the Latin name Martinus, which is a late derived form of the name of the Roman god Mars, protective godhead of the Latins and, therefore, god of war. The meaning is usually rendered in reference to the god as "of Mars" or "of war/warlike" ("martial"). Alternatively, it may also be derived from the Proto-Germanic elements "mar", meaning famous and "tank", meaning thought, counsel.
Kelly is a surname of Irish origin. The name is a partially anglicised version of older Irish names and has numerous origins, most notably from the Ui Maine. In some cases it is derived from toponyms located in Ireland and Great Britain; in other cases it is derived from patronyms in the Irish language.
Dwyer is an Irish surname which is a slightly anglicised variation of O'Dwyer. It is said that people with the surname Dwyer and who come from Ireland all come from the same clan.
McKenna is an Irish surname. It derives from the Gaelic name Cináed, meaning, “born of fire.” It is the anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Cionaodha meaning "son of Cionnaith", or of the Scottish surname, from Galloway, "MacCionaodha".