Surname McGuiness - Meaning and Origin
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McGuiness: What does the surname McGuiness mean?
The surname McGuiness is an anglicised form of the Irish name “Mac Uighinn”, derived from the personal Clan name “Uí Fhiodhbhuídhe”. The clans name originates from the Gaelic “uí” which means “descendent of” and “Fhiodhbhuídhe”, which was the name of their eponymous ancestor. The clans are presumed to hail from the ancient Kingdom of Breifne located in the medieval Irish province of Connacht, their origin lies in the walking lords, the sept of which the Uí Fhiodhbhuídhe were part of. They descend from Niall of the Nine Hostages, the legendary 5th century Irish High King.
The McGuiness Clan is believed to have been founded by four brothers that split the land into four separate entities when the province was divided in the 12th century. The four main branches of the Clan were MacGillena, MacGinnis, MacGennis and McGuinness. The McGuinness Clan adopted their name after the Fhiodhbhuídhe—“son of Angus”—in the early 16th century.
In modern times, the surname McGuiness has spread throughout the world and is found in many different countries. Due to the vast number of different McGuiness variants, it is difficult to accurately trace the originator or original bearer of the name for certain. The McGuiness Clan exists today as an active Clan across a number of Irish heritage organizations, preserving the ancient traditions and history for their descendents of today.
Order DNA origin analysisMcGuiness: Where does the name McGuiness come from?
The last name McGuiness is most commonly found in regions of Northern Ireland, particularly in counties Londonderry, Tyrone and Antrim. The name is associated with the Irish province of Ulster.
In addition, the last name McGuiness is also frequent in Scottish counties such as Glasgow and Inverness. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic name Mag Aonghusa, which translates to "son of Aonghus". Aonghus was a figure from Celtic mythology renowned for his great strength.
In the United States, the percentage of Americans named McGuiness is relatively small, but the name is popular in states such as New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, Illinois, and Florida.
The name McGuiness is quite popular in Great Britain, Australia, and Canada as well, and the most concentrated regions for it in those countries are London, Ontario, and Sydney, New South Wales respectively.
It is possible that the name McGuiness is more common in certain regions due to the fact that it is listed as a common spelling variant of the name Maguire. This is likely due to the frequently Anglicized spelling of Irish surnames in countries with large Irish diasporas.
Variations of the surname McGuiness
The surname McGuiness has many variants, spellings and surnames. McGuiness is an anglicized form of the Irish surname Mag Aonghusa, which means "descendant of Aonghus". Common variants of this surname include Maguiness, Maginness, Maginnis, MacGuinness, McGinness, McEneaney, McAnoy, MacAnaw, MacAnespie, McAneele, MacEnacey, MacEneaney and many more.
Maguinness is a derivative of the Irish Mac Aonghuis, which is more of an Irish spelling. Other variants of this name include MacGuinness, MacGinnis, MacGinnes, MacGinnish, McGinnis and MacGinney. MacGinnish and MacGinney are more commonly found throughout Scotland.
McGinness is the most commonly found spelling of the name in the United States, and McEneaney and MacEneaney are also popularly used in both the United States and Ireland.
Other variants of the surname McGuiness can also be found in Scotland, such as McAnoy, MacAnaw, MacAnespie, McAneele and MacEnacey.
Although the surnames McGuiness, Maguiness, MacGuinness, McGinness, McEneaney, McAnoy, MacAnaw, MacAnespie, McAneele, MacEnacey, MacGinnis, MacGinnes, MacGinnish and MacGinney all stem from the same origin, their spellings, pronunciation and variants have changed over time and through different regions around the world.
Famous people with the name McGuiness
- Martin McGuinness: former Irish politician who served as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2017
- Paul McGuinness: manager of the band U2
- Steve McGuinness: professional golfer and the European Tour’s winner of the 1989 Volvo Masters
- Vinnie McGuinness: English actor and comedian
- Paddy McGuinness: English television personality and stand-up comedian
- Peter McGuinness: former Longford Gaelic football and hurler
- Christy McGuinness: former Dublin inter-county footballer
- Paddy McGuinness: British drag racer
- Ray McGuinness: former Chairman of the Irish Football Association
- Martin McGuinness: Irish author, journalist and historian