McGinley / Coat of Arms, Family Crest and McGinley / Family History


McGinley / Family History


The family history of the ancient name McGinley was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name McGinley include Ginnell, McGinnelly, McGinly and Ginly. This name in Irish is MagFhionnghaile and the latter variants are the anglicized forms of this. This sept came from County Donegal.

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.

Bearers of the name have been notable churchmen and in the diocese of Raphoe the records contain many references including John MacGinly who was Bishop of the Philippines. The surname Ginnell is a variant of this name and is the form used by the Donegal McGinleys who settled in County Westmeath in the sixteenth century. Lawrence Ginnell, 1854-1928, was M.P. for Westmeath and was well known for his participation in Sinn Fein.The McGinley 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 McGinley descendants.

Meaning of Symbols & Colors on the McGinley / Coat of Arms


Argent/White or Silver Denotes Peace and Sincerity.
Sable/Black Denotes Constancy and sometimes Grief.
Bend A bearing of High Honour which signifies Defence or Protection.
Shells Symbol of the Protection of Providence

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