Branigan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The original Gaelic form of Branigan was Ó Branagain, derived from bran, which means raven. 1

Early Origins of the Branigan family

The surname Branigan was first found in the counties of Armagh and Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán) located in the Northern part of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Ulster, and were a part of the Cenel Eoghain (Clann Owen) one of the important septs (clanns) who are descended from Eoghan (Owen) son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, perhaps the greatest of all Irish General Kings whose history makes King Arthur's romances pale. 2

Early History of the Branigan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Branigan research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1610 is included under the topic Early Branigan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Branigan Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Branigan are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Branagan, Branigan, Brangan, Brangen, Branghan, Branikan, Brankin, Brannagan, Brannahan, Brannaghan, Brannaghin, Brannigan, Braendigan, Brandigan, O'Branagan and many more.

Early Notables of the Branigan family

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

Branigan migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Branigan or a variant listed above:

Branigan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Branigan, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 3

Branigan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Branigan, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
Peter Branigan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1851 3

Branigan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Branigan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Branigan, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland

Branigan 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:

Branigan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Branigan, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Bruce" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 12th September 1860 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Branigan (post 1700) +

Laura Branigan (1952-2004), American two-time Grammy Award nominated singer and actress, best remembered for her song "Gloria" which stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks
Andrew John "Andy" Branigan (1922-1995), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player who played for the New York Americans (1940-1942), inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
Alan Branigan, retired Ivorian-American soccer defender who played from 1997 to 2000
Capt. Thomas Branigan, American eponym of the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Felix Branigan, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, 1873-75 5
James Christopher "Jim" Branigan (1910-1986), Irish member of the Garda Síochána, boxer and boxing referee
St John Branigan (1824-1873), Irish-born, New Zealand police commissioner, his force was popularly known as "Branigan's Troopers"

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html