KENNEDY

From the Gaelic or Celtic words Kean-na-ty; the head of the house, or chief of the clan. Ceannaide signifies also a shopkeeper, a merchant.

Arthur, William (1857) An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain.

KENNEDY. Celtic. Cean-7ia-tighe, meaning, it is said, the head of a sept or clan. The family descend from the ancient earls of Carrick in Ayrshire, and seem to have changed their name from Carrick to Kennedy in the XIV. cent. The chief was K. of Dunure, afterwards Earl of Cassilis (now Marquis of Ailsa). In the XVI. cent, the power of tliis great house in the shires of Ayr and Galloway was set forth in a popular rhyme : —

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.