HISTORY OF THE SURNAME:
Kennedy - Cinneide

The surname came into being in the eleventh century as O Cinneide, which was later anglicized O'Kennedy. The eponymous ancestor of the O'Kennedys was Kennedy or Cinneide in Irish, nephew of Brian Boru. Cinneide was also the name of Brian Boru's father, who was King of Thomond. The prefix O, which was discarded in the period of Gaelic and Catholic depression under the Penal Code imposed on the country in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by its English conquerors, has seldom been resumed in modern times, leaving the name simply Kennedy. This is now one of the most numerous surnames in Ireland.

Spelling variations include: Ceanneidigh, Ceannaideach,Cinneidigh, Cennedi, O'Cinneide, Cinneide, Cendetig, Cennetig, O'Cinnkide, Canady, Canedy, Canidy, Canaday, Minagh, Minnagh, MacUalraig, MacKenedy, McKennedy, M'Kenedy, Mac Ulric, Mac Walrick, Kennedy, Kennady, O'Kennedy, Kenedy, Kanady, Kannady, MacKennedy, MacKennedie, Canada, Canadey, Canady, Caneday, Canedy, Caniday, Cannada, Cannaday, Cannady, Canneday, Canniday, Cenedy, Cennidy, Ceniday, Chinneide, Kanada, Kanaday, Kanadey, Kinidy, Kannedy, Kenada, Kendy, Keneday, Kenerdy, Kennaday, Kennady, Kenidy, Kenndy, Kenneday, Kennerday, Kennidy and many,many others.

First found in Counties Clare and Tipperary, Ireland .

The eponymous ancestor of the O'Kennedys was Kennedy, nephew of Brian Boru, or Cinneide in Irish, the resultant surname being O Cinneide (Brian Boru's father was Cennetig - thus, Brian Mac Cennetig). They are thus a Dalcassian sept, and at first their territory was around Glenomra near Killaloe, and their occupation is perpetuated by the name of the civil parish comprising that area, viz. Killokennedy, but pressure from the powerful O'Briens and MacNamaras caused them to cross the Shannon and settle in Upper and lower Ormond. There they soon increased in power and importance, and from the eleventh to the sixteenth century they were Lords of Ormond.

The sept divided into three branches, the chiefs of which were distinguished by the epithets Don (brown), Fionn (fair) and Rua (red). The Four Masters record the martial exploits of many of these chiefs.

A branch of the sept emigrated to Antrim about the year 1600, and the name is found in that county now, though, no doubt, some of the Ulster Kennedys are of Scottish origin, for Kennedy is also a Scots name.

There are (3) different Translated meanings for the name, 1.Helmeted-head, 2.Ugly-head, 3.Grim-headed. Some people think the description relates to the description of the character of the Chief of the Clan at the time-He was considered a mean person. Others feel that it relates to the coat of arms which is three Armoured Helmets, while still others feel the founder of the name was simply ugly. Still others, feel that the name refers to the first Irishman to adopt the use of a helmet taken while doing battle with the vikings, during an invasion of the Emerald Island. Who knows? A mystery... If you consider your own character, you might come to your own conclusions, In my line we are all very, war-like, and hot blooded/hot tempered. I feel he was likely just mean, the times called for hard people.

Though it is generally excepted that the surname means "Ugly Headed" or "Helmeted Head; this is a point of debate, one historian/translater will say it means "Head of the Clan", while another might say it means "a nation"- Referred to as a nation of importance.

Kennedy, indeed, is one the most common names in Ireland, being widely distributed over all the provinces, with a preponderance in Co. Tipperary: it is placed sixteenth in the statistical list of Irish surnames with an estimated present day population of some eighteen thousand persons.

Unlike most Irish surnames Kennedy has few synonyms in English: one, however, still found in Co. Leitrim is interesting, viz. Minnagh, I.e. Muimhneach - or the Munster man (cf. Donlevy - Ultagh). Kennedy became Quenedy in Spanish, for, like all the great Irish families, many of the sept found their way to the continent.

In more modern times the name has been less prominent than might be expected having regard to its numerical strength of the Kennedys and the power and prominence of their chiefs, throughout Irish history.

By 1659, when Petty's "Census" was taken, Kennedys were numerous throughout County Tipperary and had settled in considerable numbers as far east as the city of Waterford. The name in that document is also spelt Keenedy, Kenedie, Kenady, Kenedy etc. At that date there were 36 families called Kennedy in the baronies nearest to that city.

The surname of Kennedy (and/or its variants) can be found on nearly every continent, making the Kennedy(s) truely a global influence.

The resultant surname being O Cinneide, as are the many varients.