Show ContentsMcCannon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While the Anglicized versions of Irish names are often familiar to people, their Irish Gaelic heritage is often unknown. The original Gaelic form of the name McCannon is Ó Canain, from the word "cano," which means "wolf cub." 1

Early Origins of the McCannon family

The surname McCannon was first found in Tirconnell (Irish: Tír Chonaill) present day Donegal, located in Northwestn Ireland in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the McCannon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCannon research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1659 and 1687 are included under the topic Early McCannon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCannon Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name McCannon include Cannon, O'Cannon, MacCannon, Cannan, Cannen, Cannin, MacCannan, McCannon, McCannan and many more.

Early Notables of the McCannon family

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


United States McCannon migration to the United States +

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of McCannon were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

McCannon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John McCannon, who settled in Boston in 1765
  • John McCannon, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1765 2
  • Frederick McCannon, who arrived in North America in 1770
McCannon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William McCannon, aged 48, who landed in Maryland in 1813 2
  • Bernard McCannon, who settled in Philadelphia in 1828
  • Andrew McCannon, who landed in New Hampshire in 1848 2
  • David McCannon, aged 10, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1851 2
  • Ellen McCannon, aged 26, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1851 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada McCannon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCannon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Rose McCannon, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Silestria" from Belfast, Ireland

Australia McCannon migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McCannon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas McCannon, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring


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