Surname MacEnright - Meaning and Origin
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MacEnright: What does the surname MacEnright mean?
The last name MacEnright is an Irish surname, and it is derived from the Gaelic Mac Anraí, meaning "son of Anraí". Anraí was originally an Irish personal name, but it also evolved into a descriptive surname meaning “ruler” or “mariner”. The MacEnright surname is most common in County Cork, and it is also found in parts of County Kerry.
In Irish culture, surnames were rarely fixed in place. Families often changed their names when settling in a new area, or when they migrated. For example, MacEnright might become MacEnicholl in some areas and MacEnmurray in others. The name may also have evolved over time from the original Mac Anraí to forms such as MacAndrews, MacAnruyse, and MacEngleis, as various spellings were adopted by families.
Despite their changing forms, the MacEnright surname is connected to a long Irish heritage, and it carries an honorable meaning within that culture. It is a reminder of the seafaring Irish folk who followed the winds of change and strived to build a better life for themselves and future generations.
Order DNA origin analysisMacEnright: Where does the name MacEnright come from?
The last name MacEnright is primarily found in Ireland, where it originated. It is a distinctly Irish surname, as MacEnright is an Anglicization of the Gaelic name Mac an Aonghusa, meaning "Son of Aonghus," a popular personal name in ancient Ireland.
In modern times, MacEnright can also be found in various parts of the United States, especially in the northeast and Midwest regions. There are also some occurrences of the surname in Canada.
In the United States, MacEnrights often went by other hyphenated names such as MacEnri-Dugan, or simply by Dugan, but with a shift to more recent generations, the MacEnright surname has more or less become a stand-alone name again.
Despite being an Anglicization, the name MacEnright is still widely recognized as being of Irish origin. This is evidenced by many popular Irish surnames, such as MacDowell, MacShane, and MacFadyen, which have all attracted similar forms of modern spellings.
In any case, there are many MacEnright descendants still to be found in the regions mentioned above, particularly in the United States. In fact, MacEnright is currently ranked about 11,000th in the list of most common surnames in the United States.
Variations of the surname MacEnright
MacEnright is a surname of Irish origins. It is an Anglicization of the Gaelic Mac an Raoirigh meaning “son of the ruler”. Variants of this surname are Mac an Ri, MacEnroe, MacEntire, MacEntree, and Macenri, and MacEnry. Some variant spellings include MacEnar, MacEnrae, and MacEnroe.
The various branches of MacEnright families adopted Morris as a patronym. Variants of the name that coexisted alongside MacEnright include MacEnroe, McEnroe, and M'Enroe. In the late 19th century, McEnroe was the most widely used St. Patrick's version of MacEnright.
There are various alternative surnames of MacEnright relevant to English, Scotch-Irish, and German-derived patrons. These include: MacIntyre, MacEntier, MacEndry, MacEntree, McNight, MacEnry, and Macinroe. Also, the not-so-frequent variants of MacEnright in Ireland, like Macenra, M'Enry and McEntee.
Surnames derived from the MacEnright include FitzEnright and O'Thierney. FitzEnright is derived from the Gaelic Mac an Raoirigh, and it means “son of the ruler”. O'Thierney is an Irish patronymic surname derived from the Irish first name Ó Tighearnaigh which means “descendant of Tighearnach”.
In conclusion, the surname MacEnright has many variants, spellings, and surnames of similar origin. These range from Galic to English, Irish to Scotch-Irish, and German-derived patrons. These variations provide important facts into the history and emergence of this surname.
Famous people with the name MacEnright
- Paddy MacEnright: Irish Soccer player
- Jack MacEnright: British Actor
- Clementina MacEnright: Australian Golfer
- Shane MacEnright: Irish Anarchic Poet
- Donald MacEnright: British Boxer
- Sinead MacEnright: Irish Music Producer
- Rachel MacEnright: British Singer & Musician
- Oona MacEnright: American Television Producer
- Orla MacEnright: Irish Theatre Director
- Richard MacEnright: English Film Director.