Posted by Liz on May 19, 19101 at 13:59:23:
In Reply to: Family Name "Heagney" posted by Mark Heagney on April 17, 19101 at 22:59:01:
>>I am interested in knowing the origin of my last name Heagney. I know that it is Irish but that is all. I would appreciate any information that anyone has on the origin, the meaning and if possible the original Gaelic/Irish name. Thanks.
Hello. I noticed your query and hope you eventually see this. I sympathize with your curiosity. My maiden name (Haigney) is a rare variant of Heagney, and Heagney itself is a rare name, even in Ireland. From what I have been able to learn, it occurs mostly in northern Ireland, particularly in Tyrone and Armagh. It is classified as being of "personal name origin," that is, the family name originated in some individual's given name. The original Gaelic form is "O hEignigh" denoting "the descendant of "Eighnigh". It was probably anglicized in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, when most such shifts in name spelling began due to English occupation and preferences.Anglicized forms of the name include Heagney, Hegeany, Hegney, etc. Other spellings I have noted include my own Haigney, Heigney, Hagney, Higney, Heagany and Heageny. A genealogical researcher would have his/her hands full untangling the various possible spellings.
A very nice summary of the name's origins (written by a Higney) can be found at http://www3.telus.net/HigneyPage/.
There is a Heagney Family Forum at http://genforum.genealogy.com/heagney/
Hope this helps.