Recorded as McHenry and the Ulster McKendry, this is a Gaelic surname. It derives from Mac Eanraig in Scotland and Mac Einri in Ireland, from "Mac" meaning son of, and the pre 6th century personal given name Henry, originally composed of the Germanic elements "heim" meaning "home" and "ric" - power. The name was introduced into England by the Normans at the Invasion of 1066 as Henri, and this spelling spread to both Scotland and Ireland, where in due course it developed its own local forms. Variations in the spelling include McHendry, McHendrie, McHendrick, and McKendrick. Early examples of the surname recording taken from surviving registyers of the city of Edinburgh include Mary McKindrie who married John Lawson on November 15th 1631, George, the son of Robert and Janet Forraster McHendry, christened on August 31st 1701, and Helen, the daughter of Andrew and Jane Lundie McHenry, christened on March 5th 1812. James McHenry (1785-1845) was a poet and novelist. Mary Mckendry, a famine emigrant, sailed from Liverpool aboard the ship Marmion bound for New York on May 25th 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John McHenri. This was dated 1370, when he was lord of Koylyan. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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