The Hennessy surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,338 people carried this name — #3,790 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 31,500 people counted. That is up 2% from 9,187 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Hennessy surname

Anglicized from Irish Ó hAonghusa (“descendant of Angus”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Hennessy» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 111 births for the Hennessy name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 16 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 74
Leinster 31
Connacht 3
Ulster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

37 people named Hennessy live in Switzerland.

They live in 3 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 25
Geneva 7
Aargau 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 35 people named Hennessy.

9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 9
Paris 10
Charente 6
Nord 5
Yvelines 3
Ille-et-Vilaine 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

31 people named Hennessy is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 31

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Hennessy in American newspapers,
1900–1909.

Newspaper page from The Denison Review carrying the name Hennessy
The Denison Review 1909-08-18
Newspaper page from The Farmer And Mechanic carrying the name Hennessy
The Farmer And Mechanic 1909-09-21
Newspaper page from The Republican carrying the name Hennessy
The Republican 1900-09-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,171 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Hennessy in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

37,383 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hennessy. The most, 7,177, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 16,246
Victoria 8,958
Queensland 5,624
South Australia 3,802
Western Australia 1,532
Tasmania 987
ACT (Canberra) 163
Northern Territory 22

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hennessy.

Who carried it

People named Hennessy,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Eleanor Hennessy d. 1958
  • Anne Hennessy d. 1764
  • Lucy Mable Hennessy d. 1964
  • Rosemary Irene Hennessy d. 2014
  • James Hennessy d. 1782
  • Georgina Hennessy d. 1882

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Hennessy,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,148 records

4,148 records of the Hennessy name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,407
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,363
  • Other U.S. records 1,378
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James P. Hennessy

    Born 1911 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at Lancaster, Pennsylvania; stock clerk from Queens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Hennessy

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 20; servant. From Cork, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Daniel A. Hennessy

    Born 1943; from Newtown, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, parachutist; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4,148 records for Hennessy in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,337 records

1,337 records of the Hennessy name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 511
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 288
  • Other Australian records 538
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Catherine Hennessy

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Waverley, sailing from London Dublin in 1847. Native of Kildare. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Patrick Joseph Hennessy

    Died 1919 in No 9 Level Mt Lyell Mine, Gormanston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1920.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sylvia E. Hennessy

    Arrived in Victoria in 1921 aboard the Mantua, aged 20.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,337 records for Hennessy in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada181 records

181 records of the Hennessy name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 155
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 11
  • Other Canadian records 15
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alfred Hennessy

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the City of Paris, landing at N. York, bound for Stratford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Edwin Arthur Hennessy

    Died 1995, aged 74; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Brendan Leo Hennessy

    Died 1961 in North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 181 records for Hennessy in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand39 records

39 records of the Hennessy name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 27
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 5
  • Other New Zealand records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Hennessy

    Died 1942, aged 78; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Hennessy

    Died 1941, aged 82; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record M. Hennessy

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 39 records for Hennessy in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France18 records

18 records of the Hennessy name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeannine Marie Louise Hennessy

    Born 1908 in Paris; died 1987 in the United Kingdom.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Octave Emile Hennessy

    Born 1926 in Bailleul; died 2000 in Frelinghien (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Geoffroy Marie Jacques Hennessy

    Born 1945 in Dinard (Ille-et-Vilaine); died 1984 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Hennessy in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom7 records

7 records of the Hennessy name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Hennessy

    Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. J. Hennessy

    Northumberland Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Hennessy

    Cambridgeshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Hennessy in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Hennessy name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Hennessy

    Died 1987, aged 75; buried at Labane, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Hennessy in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Hennessy.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Hennessy is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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