Surname Innis - Meaning and Origin
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Innis: What does the surname Innis mean?
The surname Innis has both Scottish and Irish roots. In Scotland, the name Innis is derived from the Gaelic term "inis" meaning "island." It was used to identify people who lived on an island. In Ireland, the surname is found primarily in County Donegal. Similarly, it also originates from the Gaelic word "inis." However, in the Irish context, the term means "meadow" rather than "island." It was typically used to refer to someone who lived near or was from a meadow area. Over time, this geographical identification turned into a family surname, transmitting from one generation to another. Overall, the last name Innis is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.
Order DNA origin analysisInnis: Where does the name Innis come from?
The surname Innis is of Scottish origin, derived from the word 'Inis' in Gaelic, which means island or piece of inhabitable land in a marsh. The name was originally used in reference to people dwelling on or near such geographical features. There were many areas in Scotland named Innis, so clans and families became identified by the name of their respective territories.
Historically, one of the earliest inklings of the name was found in Perthshire, where the Innis family held a family seat from early times. Other spellings of the surname include Innes, Inness, Innys, and others. Clan Innes, one of Scotland's oldest clans, significantly contributed to Scottish history, especially during the period of wars for independence.
Today, the surname Innis is found worldwide due to emigration, with significant populations in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in particular. Within Scotland itself, the name is still common, especially in the northeastern region of Moray, the original homeland of Clan Innes. Interestingly, the name is also uniquely popular in Barbados, likely due to Scottish emigrants who worked in the sugar industry there.
Variations of the surname Innis
The surname Innis may have originated from Scotland, and it can be written in various forms. Variants of this surname may include Innes, Ennis, Ennes, Enys, Ineys, Inney, Innies, and Iness among others.
Moreover, the surname could also be related to the Gaelic "inis," which translates to island. This is because many inhabitants on the Scottish island of Innis took the island's name as their surname. It might also be derived from a habitational name from places in Scotland, named with Gaelic ‘innis’ or ‘island’, in particular a place near Peebles and another in the parish of Inverkeilor, Angus.
In addition, it is also common to see variations in the spelling of such surnames due to the transcription errors that occurred when taking oral information and writing it down.
Some related surnames also include Innison and Innerson. Some surname holders may have changed their name to Innison or Innerson to differentiate themselves from others of the same surname or due to emigration and changes in language. Today, all these variants and spellings have been found around the world due to migration and the passage of time.
Famous people with the name Innis
- Malcolm Innis: Award-winning contemporary American sculptor and artists who has shown his artwork across the US.
- Roy Innis: Late American civil-rights activist and national chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality.
- Shannon Innis: American contemporary artist and photographer with a focus on documenting the unseen areas of time and space.
- Quvenzhané Wallis: American actress, singer and model who starred in the film Beasts of the Southern Wild.
- Mercedes Innis: American painter and illustrator whose works have been featured in major publications such as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and The Wall Street Journal.
- Reina Innis: American singer-songwriter and music producer with several albums released under her name.
- Mona Innis: American actress known for her roles in the films The Photograph, Heavens Gate, and Wild Man Blues.
- Chris Innis: American film editor known for his work on The Hurt Locker, Argo, and 12 Years a Slave.
- Rhonda Innis: American writer, scholar, and professor whose works focus on the intersection between race, culture, and contemporary art.
- Bonnie Innis: Canadian yoga instructor and author of the popular book Chakra Bliss: A Journey Through the Chakras.