Reaney Surname origin

[reaney83 10]

Hi

 

I am just enquiring if there are any Reaney s seeking information on ancestry and heritage in the Sheffield area I have been researching the name for the last couple of years and found quite a bit of information. I am trying to see if there is a connection to the Reaneys located in the UK and Ireland. There is a good chance this is so as Reaneys found in Ireland more than likely come via England. Sheffield is where the name is thought to originate so it would tie up a lot of loose ends

 

If anyone is interested in helping out it would be great.

 

 

Send my a private message:)

 

Kind Regards

 

C iaran

[lazarus 68]

I have two answers about the meaning of the name, first from my OXFORD DICTIONARY OF SURNAMES gives it being a Sheffield name from around the Penistone area and can be traced back to the 13th century.

My other book JOHN AYTO`S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SURNAMES explains its from the Gaelic O Raighne which was taken from OLD NORSE ROGNVALDR which means COUNCIL RULE but also explains that RAINEY is the Anglised name of REANEY.

Its entirely up to you which lineage you want to follow, good luck.

[reaney83 10]

Hi Lazarus

 

Thank you for the reply. Yes I have researched it and I can't really find anything that backs up the Irish origin or that connection that says it's of Meath origin. I want to find out if there's any connection to the Sheffield Reaneys. If there are any researchers out there for Reaney it would be great to get in contact with.

 

Any help is appreciated

 

Kind Regards

 

C

[Rivelin6 11]

Have you tried the Guild of One Name Studies? http://www.one-name.org/ I have found them very useful in the past.

Edited August 16, 2011 by Rivelin6

[duckweed 10]

There are certainly a lot of early Reaneys in the Sheffield /Norton /area. There are also a number of quite early connections with Ireland of Sheffield families. But they could be unrelated just from a similar root. I'm researching early Sheffield and Derbyshire not specifically Reaney. I haven't seen any Irish links for this family. When Sheffield Archives open mid September you could try and see if are any Irish Reaneys early in Sheffield or vice versa by looking up their free use of Ancestry on their computer and also looking up the archives own index and seeing what you come up with.

[Rivelin6 11]

This is quite interesting too

In England and specifically Yorkshire, the surname is well recorded with examples such as Margaret Ranie of Arksey, on August 8th 1565, and Andrew Reaney, who married Sarah Gill at Sheffield Cathedral on August 25th 1784. The first known recording of the family name is believed to be that of Henry Raney, which was dated 1275, in the "Hundred Rolls" of Derbyshire. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

[reaney83 10]

This is quite interesting too

In England and specifically Yorkshire, the surname is well recorded with examples such as Margaret Ranie of Arksey, on August 8th 1565, and Andrew Reaney, who married Sarah Gill at Sheffield Cathedral on August 25th 1784. The first known recording of the family name is believed to be that of Henry Raney, which was dated 1275, in the "Hundred Rolls" of Derbyshire. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

 

Thank you for the replies. The reason I think Sheffield may be a connection is because I have found the Reaney (Rainey, Reany) in Ulster and they are Ulster-Scots. Through DNA testing I know we are not related, this leaves Reaney/Rainey bunched together in Cork and Mayo/Galway. From the tests we are related to the Galway Reaneys and over time we have moved from the Galway area and into County Mayo, they left a trail:)

The first recorded Reaney we found was a Thomas Reany in County Galway in 1420 and it's believed he was a merchant. So he was connected to the sea and the surname doesn't seem to have much connection to the Reaney/Raighne origin in Ireland from what I gather so I believe a Sheffield connection is possible as the DNA tests show we are of possible Norse ancestry (R1a) and this type is not that common in the West of Ireland but more so in the old Danelaw in Yorkshire.

 

Here is a map I created from the old census records in the 1800-1900s of Reaneys/Raineys in Ireland as a whole.

 

"The Reaney surname is found mostly in the UK and Ireland with descendants found across North America.

 

The name is found in Yorkshire and Scotland. The families found in Ulster are Ulster-Scots, arriving in Ulster in roughly 1600 from Ayrshire. The Republic of Ireland Reaneys are found in Counties Mayo and Galway, Connacht and County Cork in Munster.

 

Above is a map of the demographics of the Reaney and variants Rainey, Raney etc in Ireland.

 

 

Red Cross:

Indicates Griffith's Valuation Census in the 1840s (Religion not stated in this census)

 

1911 Census Records:

Blue Pin: Roman Catholics

Yellow Pin: Church of Ireland

Purple Pin: Presbyterian

Green: Baptist

 

Yellow and Purple pins found in the Republic of Ireland were originally from Ulster or England. Some of these families were part of the RIC which explains the movement south of the border.

 

I've tried lots of different directions but the origins placed in the old Irish texts don't really make much sense, it's almost as if they are more part of the mystical writings than fact.

If this interests anyone researching the name it would be great to get in touch.

 

Kind Regards

[Dizzee2011 10]

Hi just thought I'd have a look on 1841 census for Sheffield, purely as its the earliest census available. There are quite a lot of REANEYS listed but their places of birth are predominantly Yorkshire. Except one family whose origin is

Ireland. They lived Strafforth/Tickhill area. No exact address I'm afraid. The

1841 census is very limited. A lot of Irish REANEYS seemed to have moved to

Derbyshire and Lancashire at that time.

[algorrobo 10]

Hi

I have done quite a bit of research on the Reaney families in Sheffield. Like you I had heard (and hoped for) an Ireland/Meath connection, but traced my line of the family back to a John Rayney, born circa1600 in Barlow, Derbyshire, just a few miles from Sheffield. The family over the generations moved inwards to Sheffield, going from farming to blacksmithing to general metal trades.I could find no Irish connection at all.

Sorry to disappoint you!

Much of the information I have came via a link to "Youle and related families of Sheffield"on Rootsweb.com or Ancestry.com if you want to verify this.

[ssbenson 10]

I have researched one side of the Reaney family that moved into Sheffield from Ridgeway, nr Gleadless and the furthest back I have got is Isaac & Hannah married 1794 in Eckington, but they all seem to be local to Ridgeway/Eckington area.

[reaney83 10]

Hi just thought I'd have a look on 1841 census for Sheffield, purely as its the earliest census available. There are quite a lot of REANEYS listed but their places of birth are predominantly Yorkshire. Except one family whose origin is

Ireland. They lived Strafforth/Tickhill area. No exact address I'm afraid. The

1841 census is very limited. A lot of Irish REANEYS seemed to have moved to

Derbyshire and Lancashire at that time.

 

Yes, thanks for the reply.

 

I really think they are separate as there are too many records going prior to the 1700s when the Irish started to move in higher numbers to England.

[reaney83 10]

Hi

I have done quite a bit of research on the Reaney families in Sheffield. Like you I had heard (and hoped for) an Ireland/Meath connection, but traced my line of the family back to a John Rayney, born circa1600 in Barlow, Derbyshire, just a few miles from Sheffield. The family over the generations moved inwards to Sheffield, going from farming to blacksmithing to general metal trades.I could find no Irish connection at all.

Sorry to disappoint you!

Much of the information I have came via a link to "Youle and related families of Sheffield"on Rootsweb.com or Ancestry.com if you want to verify this.

 

Hi

 

I do wonder where they come up with some of the origins, I've dug dep with the help of other Reaneys and a lot of what the books says seems to be inaccurate.

 

I have seen this John Rayney a lot on my research, he seems to be the only one that has clear connections to modern families..