- Kneen
Family name |name =
|image_size = |caption =
pronunciation = |meaning = 3 possible meanings
1. "champion" (from the Gaelic "Nia")
2. "long" (from the Gaelic "cian")
3. "a saint" (from the Gaelic "Naomh")
region = Isle of Man|language = Gaelic. (3 possible origins)
1. from "Mac Niadháin"
2. from "Mac Cianain"
3. from "Naomh"
related names =
footnotes =Kneen, (pronounced "neen" with the '
K ' silent), is a Manxsurname . There have been several interpretations of the origin of the surname. "Kneen" may be anAnglicisation of the Gaelicpatronymic "Mac Niadháin", which is derived from a pet form of the Gaelicpersonal name "Nia" meaning "champion". [ [http://www.ancestry.com/facts/kneen-family-history.ashx Kneen Name Meaning and History] Retrieved on2008-04-21 ] [http://www.ancestry.com/facts/McNee-family-history.ashx McNee Name Meaning and History] Retrieved on2008-04-21 ] Another origin attributed to the surname is that "Kneen" may be derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cianain", [Reaney, Percy H. & Wilson, R. M. (eds.) "A Dictionary of English Surnames". Routledge, 1991. ISBN 041505737X.] meaning "son of "Cianan". The name "Cianan" being a diminutive of "cian", meaning "long". [Harrison, Henry. Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1996. ISBN 0806301716.] Another opinion published in the 19th century is that is that "Kneen" is possibly a corruption of the surname "Nevyn", and derived from the Gaelic "Naomh" meaning "a saint". This origin has been attributed to the name because "Kneen" had been thought to be confused in early documents with the surnames "Nevyn" and "Nevyne". An "Andrew John Nevyn" is recorded in 1417. A "Jenkin M'Nyne" is recorded in 1429, and later in 1430 his name is recorded as "Jenkine Mac Nevyne". [Moore, Arthur William. "The Surnames & Place-Names of the Isle of Man. With an introdroduction by Professor Rhys". London: Elliot Stock, 1890.]Use as a surname
*
Steve Kneen , Australian, rugby league player
*Thomas Kneen , (1852-1916), Manx, His Majesty's Clerk of the Rolls for the Isle of Manee also
*
McNee , derived from the Gaelic "Mac Niadh", which is the patronymic form of the Gaelic personal name "Nia".
*McNiven , derived from the Gaelic "Mac Naoimhín". [ [http://www.ancestry.com/facts/McNiven-family-history.ashx McNiven Name Meaning and History] Retrieved on2008-05-08 ]
*Nevin , sometimes derived from the Gaelic "Mac Naoimhín". [ [http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Nevin-family-history.ashx Nevin Name Meaning and History] Retrieved on2008-05-08 ]References
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