Gan Surname History

Origins Available:
Ireland

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Gan appeared as Mac Cana, which is derived from the word cana, which means wolf cub.

Early Origins of the Gan family

The surname Gan was first found in County Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland, at Clanbrasil, a region on the southern shore of Lough Neagh.

The family supplanted the O'Graveys at the time of Strongbow's Anglo-Norman invasion in 1172 as lords of this area and became known as the Lords of Clanbrassil. One of the earliest records of the name was Amhlaibh Mc Canna (died 1155), described by the Four Masters as "pillar of chivalry and vigour of Cinel Eoghin" 1

Early History of the Gan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gan research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1155, 1598 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Gan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gan Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Gan 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 MacCann, MacCanna, MacCan, MacAnn, MacAn and others.

Early Notables of the Gan family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gan 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 Gan name:

Gan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sofia Gan, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1812 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Gan (post 1700) +

Gan Anton Vassallo (1817-1868), Maltese writer, poet and academic

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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)