Irish Translation Forum

Hi,

Great forum, perhaps someone might be able to help me with the translation of my name back into Irish. My surname is Kenny and I would like to use the Irish version from now on but cant find a definitive translation for it. I thought it was "O Cionaodha" but some websites say it derives from "Kenneth", an Anglicized form of both "COINNEACH" and "CINÁED". In school I was told it was "Coinneach" by my Irish teacher (she's from Galway where the name is said to come from) Any help would be great. My first name is of Welsh / Scottish origin so I would keep it as it is. But coming from a long line of Quinns and Murtaghs, I'd like to revert to the Irish version of my Surname.

Thanks.

G of K wrote:Hi,

Great forum, perhaps someone might be able to help me with the translation of my name back into Irish. My surname is Kenny and I would like to use the Irish version from now on but cant find a definitive translation for it. I thought it was "O Cionaodha" but some websites say it derives from "Kenneth", an Anglicized form of both "COINNEACH" and "CINÁED". In school I was told it was "Coinneach" by my Irish teacher (she's from Galway where the name is said to come from) Any help would be great. My first name is of Welsh / Scottish origin so I would keep it as it is. But coming from a long line of Quinns and Murtaghs, I'd like to revert to the Irish version of my Surname.

Thanks.

Hi, Edward Mac Lysaght in his book Surnames of Ireland has it as Ó Cionaoith Galway & Donegal.
Woulfe[an Irish surname guru ]thinks it is from firesprung cionaodh?
Christy.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I've also heard it could be Ó Coinnigh or Ó Cainnigh. Is it possible that they are all correct and just down to dialect and personal choice, changing slightly over the years?

gav

Many Irish surnames have been re-gaelicised over the last hundred years even though people were often not certain which of a number of Irish names was the most correct.

If it were me, I'd just go with the most common form of Kenny; "Ó Cionnaith"

Maybe it would put some skeletons, from centuries past, rattling in their graves, but unfortunately we have no way of contacting them to make sure.

Ó Cionaoith or Ó Coinnigh seem to be the most common in area the rest of my family are from so I guess thats how they'd have spelt it. So I guess Ó Cionaoith is ainm dom anois

míle maith agat arís