What is origin of surname reaney?

Answer 1

As far as recorded history tells us the name Reaney has three different areas of recent origin. It is believed that they are not connected. The name has various spellings such as Reaney, Rainey, Raney, Reany and Rayney. These names have been found in birth, marriage, death and census certificates over a span of 200 years.

Sheffield-England:

Believed to be from a small farm in Penistone, Thurlestone. The farm, called "Ranah" is believed to have stones, 'Ranah Stones" which translates to a combination meaning 'Raven-Hill" from the Norse, "hrafn-haugr". The name is spelt Reaney but traditionally pronounced Rainey. Over time the name has been pronounced Ree-knee. It hasn't been proven but Yorkshire is historically a famous Viking settlement in England and could connect th

Scotland / Ulster Scots:

Pronounced and spelt Rainey, found in Ulster in 1603 from a planter named William Rainey. The name is found mostly in Antrim and Down with a rising number in Tyrone and Donegal. This family is of protestant (Presbyterian) heritage but some branches are believed to have converted to Catholicism. Evidence suggests they arrived from Ayrshire in Scotland. Raineys/Reaneys are still found in Ulster. Many of the southern state Raineys in the USA can trace they're ancestry to these Planters. The name is thought to derive from Ragnvald, Norse king in Scotland in 8 AD.

Republic of Ireland:

Said to be from County Westmeath and of the Roman Catholic religion. It is also said the name is derived from O Raighne which it self comes from the name Reginald/Reniald/Ragnvald the same as the English Reaney or Scottish Rainey. There is a theory that the name may originate from County Leitrim and be connected to the name Reynolds which is common in that county, there is little evidence to show for this. The book of Annals contains the name Reniald in Dublin as a Danish King of Dublin. There is also a reference to Malachy O Raighne in 1542 being murdered in Fedan Castle, Kings County (now Offaly). This site is near Newtown.

These Reaneys are mostly located in Counties Mayo and Galway; a 300KM drive from the other localities of the Ulster Raineys. It is pronounced both Reaney and Rainey.

Though the name contains the Gaelic 'ó' or 'Mac' it does not necessarily mean the name is native to the lands of (England), Scotland or Ireland.

Recent DNA testing has shown that some branches of the Irish Reaney name are in fact of Germanic/Eastern European or Norse origin. This branch could have been brought to Ireland by the Vikings, Normans or indirectly by the Anglo-Saxons. There is also the possibility that it arrived with the first wave of English planters or indeed as part of the Scottish planters. Normans brought a different haplogroup than the Eastern European or Norse Vikings but may have brought it by Slavic Slaves. The same theory is possible with the Vikings bringing Slavic Slaves, the Vikings traded heavily with the Eastern Europeans.

An origin in Westmeath could be plausible given the history found in the Annals and the possible connection to Reniald in Dublin and the Norman invasions in the East of Ireland. A movement to the west of Ireland may have been caused by a push by the Cromwellian forces to 'Hell or to Connacht", Connacht being the province in which Mayo and Galway are located.

A record shows a John Reany owning property in Aglish, Castlebar, County mayo in the 1840s Griffiths Valuation Census, there is a man of the same name with properties in the area of Tyrone. A lady by the name of Catherine Reaney is found in Antrim St, Castlebar, County Mayo. This street takes it's name from the Protestant Antrim workers helping the landlord Boycott during the famous tenant rebellion. A Reverend in Killala, County Mayo is also recorded in the Mayo records in 1772. In the 1700s there was a mass migration of Ulster Catholics to Connacht. They were fleeing the Peep o Day boys attacks on Catholics. Many of these settled in Mayo and notably Claremorris where there are Reaneys located to this day. There may not be any connection to these movements but it opens up a possibility.

Irish Reaneys are also found in Ontario, Canada. Rineys located in County Kerry are of no relation to Reaneys/Raineys, they are in fact descended from the O'Neill family who fled to Kenmare. Rí = Irish for King and Ney = Neill.