Drinnon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Many variations of the name Drinnon have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Draighnean, from the word draighnean, which means blackthorn. 1

Early Origins of the Drinnon family

The surname Drinnon was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, and County Clare where O'Drennan was chief of Slieve Eise, Finn, and of Cinel-Seudna, a district on the borders of both counties. 2

Early History of the Drinnon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drinnon research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1696, 1736 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Drinnon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drinnon Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Drinnon family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Drennan, O'Drennan, Drenan, O'Drenan, Thornton and many more.

Early Notables of the Drinnon family

Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Drinnon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drinnon Ranking

In the United States, the name Drinnon is the 16,561^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Drinnon family

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Drinnon family in North America: William Drennan who settled in New Jersey in 1685; James Drennan settled in New York State in 1803; Michael Drennan settled in Philadelphia in 1856; Edward Thorneton settled in Virginia in 1663.

The Drinnon 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: Nec opprimere nec opprimi
Motto Translation: Neither to oppress nor to be oppressed.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/