Henehan Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Henehan Family History

Henehan Family History

The ancient origin of the name Henehan was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The names Henehan, Heneghan and Henihan are of Irish origin and are anglicized forms of the native Gaelic O'hEineachain and O'hEinachain septs that were located in County Mayo.

A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. It is also the case that many Irish septs or clans that are related often belong to a larger groups, sometimes called tribes. For example the 'Tribes of Galway' consisted of fourteen distinct families. The 'Tribes of Kilkenny' were ten families, etc.

They were a sept of the Ui Fiachrach. These Gaelic names have also been occasionally anglicized as Bird. They are recorded in 'Stafford's Inquisition of County Mayo' as being located in the baronies of Carra and Clanmorris, the spellings then being O'Henegan, O'Henigan, and Henecan. A Father Patrick Henecan was parish priest of Ballysodare and was Dean and Vicar General of the diocese of Achonry in the year 1743. As far back as the year 1295 a Tayg O'Henehan was recorded as having been arraigned for theft.The Henehan family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Henehan descendants.