McHenry
A Gaelic surname usually taken to mean “son of Henry,” though in Ireland it can also reflect a native Gaelic name that was later anglicized to McHenry.
The #3,082 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,479 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McHenry is an anglicized Gaelic surname built from Mac, meaning “son of,” plus Henry. In many cases it was used as the Gaelic form of an English or Norman personal name, so the literal sense is “son of Henry.” Some Irish sources, however, note that certain McHenry families may descend from a native Gaelic name such as Mac an Éinirí / Mac Innerighe, rather than from a man actually called Henry.
History
The name appears in Irish and Scots-Gaelic records under several spellings, including MacHenry, McEndry, and related forms. Nineteenth-century surname scholars noted that McHenry was especially associated with parts of Ulster and also occurred elsewhere in Ireland. In some families the surname was later translated or normalized into English forms such as Henry, Early, or Yardly, reflecting the complicated history of anglicization.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older Irish scholarship suggested that at least a few McHenry families may have shifted to surnames like Early or Yardly after their original Gaelic form was reinterpreted.
From the historical record
“rriAC ^\n\\\, MacEnry, Mac Endry, MacHenry, Mac Henery, MacHendrie, Mac Hendry, MacKenery, Mac Kendry ; Fitzhenry, Henry, Hendry, etc.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames