Show ContentsConcannon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Gaelic, otherwise known as Early Modern Irish, was used in Ireland from around the year 1200 until the 18th century. It is from this language that we found the first references to the name Concannon as Ó Concheanainn, possibly meaning "fair headed hound." 1

The family descends from Cuceannan, who was killed in 991. Another reference, claims that the surname could have been derived from MacConceannain, and in this case it was derived from the Irish "conn," a man's personal name + "gan," which means without + "an," which means a "lie," collectively meaning "Conn the speaker of truth." 2

Early Origins of the Concannon family

The surname Concannon was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, and Roscommon where they claim descent from the Heremon kings, from the Ui Bruin and more specifically they were derived from Dermot, brother of Murias the 29th King of Connacht who was alive in the 9th century. They claim descendancy from the O'Connors, hence the similarity of the Coat of Arms which both depict a tree at the center point.

Early History of the Concannon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Concannon research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1690, 1732, 1748 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Concannon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Concannon Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Concannon can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Concannon, O'Concannon, Cancannon, Concanon, Cancanon, O'Concanon, Connon and many more.

Early Notables of the Concannon family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Concannon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Concannon Ranking

In the United States, the name Concannon is the 16,219th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3


United States Concannon migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Concannon name:

Concannon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Concannon, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 4
  • William Concannon, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4
  • John Concannon, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4
  • Michael Concannon, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 4
  • Edward, George, James, Michael, Timothy Concannon, who arrived in Philadelphia or Boston between 1840 or 1870
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Concannon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Concannon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Edward Concannon, (b. 1840), aged 30, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 5
  • Mr. Thomas Concannon, (b. 1954), aged 22, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Concannon (post 1700) +

  • Ernest Raymond Concannon (1909-1986), American football offensive lineman
  • Brian Concannon Jr. (b. 1963), American human rights lawyer in Haiti
  • John Joseph "Jack" Concannon Jr. (1943-2005), American football quarterback
  • Thomas B. Concannon Jr., American politician, Mayor of Newton, Massachusetts, 1994-97 7
  • Patrick J. Concannon, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Illinois 6th District, 1938 7
  • Nancy Concannon, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1980 7
  • David J. Concannon, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 13th District, 1948 7
  • Eoin Concannon, Irish current Gaelic football player
  • Eóin Concannon (d. 1954), Irish King of the Claddagh
  • Helena Concannon (1878-1952), Irish Fianna Fáil politician, historian, author and language scholar
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Dorsetshire
  • Harold Bernard Concannon (d. 1945), British Lieutenant District Commander aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 8
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • Thomas Concannon (1937-1988), Irish Passenger from Oxfordshire, England, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 9
  • Bridget Concannon (1935-1988), Irish Passenger from Oxfordshire, England, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 9
  • Sean Concannon (1972-1988), English Passenger from Oxfordshire, England, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 9


The Concannon Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto:
Motto Translation: Wisdom without blemish.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  9. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html


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