Henry — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó hInneirghe
Meaning: 'descendant of Inneirghe; also son of Henry'
Traditional stronghold: Mayo, Tyrone
Pronunciation: HEN-ree; Irish Ó hInneirghe: oh HIN-er-yeh
History of the Henry name
Henry in Ireland has two main sources. In Ulster it anglicises Ó hInneirghe, a Tyrone sept of the Cenél nEógain whose name may derive from a word for 'rising' or 'abandonment'; their territory lay around Cullentra. In Connacht it usually represents Mac Éinrí, 'son of Henry', adopted by gaelicised Norman families, notably the FitzHenrys and a branch of settlers in Mayo, where MacHenry and Henry became interchangeable. English and Scottish settlers named Henry added a third stream in the plantation era. The name is accordingly commonest in Tyrone, Derry, Antrim and Mayo, with Paul Henry's Connemara canvases making it familiar to every Irish schoolchild.
Variants: McHenry · FitzHenry
Famous bearers of the name
- Paul Henry — Belfast-born painter whose west of Ireland landscapes defined the visual image of Connemara.
- Mitchell Henry — MP and merchant who built Kylemore Abbey in Connemara.
- Sam Henry — Coleraine folk-song collector whose Songs of the People preserved hundreds of Ulster airs.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Walsh · O'Neill · Quinn · Burke · Donnelly · Moran · Higgins · Conway