Mooney

For the radio show, see Mooney (radio programme). For the aircraft manufacturer, see Mooney Aviation Company.

Mooney
Family name
Meaning	"rich" or "descendant of the wealthy one"
Region of origin	Ireland
Related names	O'Moony, Meaney, Moon, Money, Moonie

Mooney is a family name, which is probably predominantly derived from the Irish Ó'Maonaigh It can also be spelled Moony, Moonie, Meaney and Meeney.

Origins

The origin of the different Moony or Mooney families is lost in antiquity. The name is derived from maoin a gaelic word meaning wealth or treasure of treasure, hence when O'Maonaigh was anglicised to Mooney it meant the descendant of the wealthy one.^[1]

According to Irish lore, the Mooney family comes from one of the largest and most noble Irish lines. They are said to be descendants of the ancient Irish King Heremon, who, along with his brother Herber, conquered Ireland. Heremon slew his brother shortly after their invasion, took the throne for himself, and fathered a line of kings of Ireland that include Malachi II, and King Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Baptismal records, parish records, ancient land grants, the Annals of the Four Masters, and books by O'Hart, McLysaght, and O'Brien were all used in researching the history of the Mooney family name. These varied and often ancient records indicate that distant septs of the name arose in several places throughout Ireland. The most known and most numerous sept came from the county of Offaly. The members of this sept were from Chieftain Monach, son of Ailill Mor, Lord of Ulster, who was descended from the Kings of Connacht. These family members gave their name to town lands called Ballymooney both in that county and in the neighboring county of Leix.^[2]

Companies

• Mooney Airplane Company

People

• Albert Mooney - aircraft designer and founder of Mooney Airplane Company
• Alex X. Mooney - American politician
• Bel Mooney - English journalist and broadcaster
• Brian Mooney- Assistant Director For Avatar Inc. in Warwick RI
• Brian Mooney - professional football player
• Cameron Mooney - Australian rules footballer
• Carol Ann Mooney - President of Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana
• Dave Mooney - Professional football player
• Debra Mooney - American actress
• Edward Mooney - Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Detroit, former Bishop of Rochester
• Hercules Mooney - American Revolutionary War Colonel
• James Mooney - anthropologist whose major works were about the Cherokee Indians
• Malcolm Mooney - Original lead singer of rock group |Can; inspiration for The Mooney Suzuki's name (see below)
• Melvin Mooney - American physicist, developed the Mooney Viscometer and other testing equipment used in the rubber industry.
• Paschal Mooney - Irish politician
• Peter Mooney (conductor) - Scottish educationalist and conductor (music)
• Peter Thomas Mooney - Information Technology Conultant and Web Designer
• Paul Mooney (writer) - son of James Mooney
• Paul Mooney (comedian) - American comedian, writer, and actor
• Robert Mooney - Canadian politician
• Sean Mooney - Sports reporter and former WWF announcer
• Thomas Mooney - American labor leader from San Francisco, California
• Father Tom Mooney- First Catholic chaplain to die in World War II, in Belgium^[3]
• Tom Mooney (rugby league), Australian rugby league footballer
• Tommy Mooney Professional football player
• Tony Mooney - Australian politician
• Walter E. Mooney - pilot and model aircraft designer

Ó Maonaigh spelling

• Proinsias Ó Maonaigh - fiddler
• Pete St. John - Irish songwriter

Places

• Bert Mooney Airport - Montana
• Cardinal Mooney High School
• Mooney Creek, Kansas
• Mooney Falls - Grand Canyon
• Mooney Mooney, New South Wales, Australia

See also

• African moony - eastern Atlantic saltwater fish
• Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! - Dr. Seuss book
• Mooney (radio programme) an Irish radio programme presented by Derek Mooney
• Mooney Face Test
• Mooney-Rivlin solid
• Moonie (disambiguation)
• Moony - nickname of Italian singer Monica Bragato
• "Moony" - the nickname for Remus Lupin used in the Harry Potter series
• Silver moony - fish found mainly in the Red Sea
• The Mooney Suzuki - a band

References

1. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
2. ^ HJK49  (Visualizza annunci) (2009-02-23). "The Ancient and Distinguished History of the - Mooney - Bacheca di storia familiare e genealogia - Ancestry.it". Boards.ancestry.it. http://boards.ancestry.it/surnames.mooney/2092/mb.ashx. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
3. ^ "At the going down of the sun: from the Scheldt to the Rhine | Esprit de Corps | Find Articles at BNET". Findarticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6972/is_8_16/ai_n35625568/. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 

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