Show ContentsLinneman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo-Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that were not readily found within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as Linneman, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England, but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the conquest. Originally, these place names were prefixed by "de," which means "from" in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The Linneman family originally lived in the settlement of Llanaghan, which is in the Welsh county of Brecon.

Early Origins of the Linneman family

The surname Linneman was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after his invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Linneman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Linneman research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1249 is included under the topic Early Linneman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Linneman Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Linneman, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Lanigan, Lanahan, Lenaghan, Lanaghan, Linehan and many more.

Early Notables of the Linneman family

More information is included under the topic Early Linneman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Linneman Ranking

In the United States, the name Linneman is the 18,598th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Linneman family

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Linneman: Michael Lanagan, who came to Newfoundland in 1814; Edward Lanaghan, who arrived at St. John, New Brunswick in 1834; Cornelius, Biddy and George Lanagan, who all arrived in Philadelphia in 1828.


Contemporary Notables of the name Linneman (post 1700) +

  • Robert H. Linneman, American Republican politician, Contractor; Engineer; Member of Missouri State Senate 20th District, 1947-52 2
  • Joseph G. Linneman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Ohio State House of Representatives from Hamilton County, 1938 2


The Linneman 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: Patriae infelici fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to an unhappy country.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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