Brendan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Many variations of the name Brendan have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as "O Braondin," from the word "braon," which has several meanings, possibly meaning "sorrow" in this case.

Saint Brendan or Brenainn (490?-573), of Birr, "which was so called from the abundance of wells there (birr, birra, water), now Parsonstown, in the King's County. He was son of Neman, a poet, and Mansenna, and belonged to the race of Corb Aulam, great-grandson of Rudhraighe, from whom were the Clanna Rudhraighe. " 1

Another Saint Brendan or Brenainn (484-577), of Clonfert, was born in 484, at Littus li, or Stagnum li, now Tralee, co. Kerry. "He is termed son of Finnloga, to distinguish him from his contemporary, St. Brendan of Birr. " 1

Early Origins of the Brendan family

The surname Brendan was first found in County Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh), the former Kingdom of Osraige (Ossory), located in Southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster, where the family claim descent from Braonan, an Irish Prince, brother of Ceallach, 17th King of Ossory. Braonan later became the King of Ossory, and also King of the Danes of Dublin, and was known as the Prince of Idough. His son, Conglach, in a dispute over the throne of Ossory, was killed near Three Castles, County Kilkenny.

At this point in time, the Brennans were in conflict with Brian Boru (1014), and most historians believe that the family was on the wrong side as allies of the Danish King. After Clontarf, they retained only the principality of Idough, but Anne, daughter of Guidhelgedh, three generations later, married the King of Ossory (Donogh), and the title was still extant even after the Anglo Norman invasion of 1172.

Early History of the Brendan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brendan research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1395, 1520, 1600, 1625, 1693, 1768, 1794, 1830 and 1832 are included under the topic Early Brendan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brendan Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Brendan family name include Brennan, McBrennan, Brannon, Brannan, Brannen, Brannin, Brennyn, Brannyn, MacBrennan, Brenan, Branon, Branan, Branen and many more.

Early Notables of the Brendan family

Notable among the family name at this time was Sir Art O'Brennan of Castlecomer Castle; Most Rev. John Brennan (1625-1693), Bishop of Waterford and Archbishop of Cashel; John Brennan (1768-1830)...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brendan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brendan migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Brendan:

Brendan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Sister Rose Brendan, aged 36, who arrived in Colorado in 1948 2

Brendan migration to Australia +

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

Brendan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Brendan, aged 19, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"

Contemporary Notables of the name Brendan (post 1700) +

John Brendan McCormack (1935-2021), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester from 1998 until 2011
James Brendan Patterson (b. 1947), American author and philanthropist. His writing includes Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, and Women's Murder Club
Angus Brendan MacNeil (b. 1970), Scottish politician, Chair of the International Trade Select Committee (2016-), Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee (2015-2016)
Donogh Brendan O'Malley (1921-1968), Irish Fianna Fáil politician, Minister for Education (1966-1968), Minister for Health (1965-1966)
Anthony Brendan Byrne (1946-2016), Irish professional footballer who played from 1963 to 1979, Member of the Republic of Ireland National Team (1969-1973)
Martin Brendan Fleming (1926-2016), American politician, Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts from 1982 to 1984
Raymond Brendan Manning (1934-2000), American carcinologist
Robert Brendan McDowell (b. 1913), Irish historian, Fellow Emeritus and former Professor of History at Trinity College, Dublin
Pierce Brendan Brosnan OBE (b. 1953), Irish Saturn Award winning, two-time Golden Globe nominated film actor best known for portraying James Bond in four films
Brendan Thomas Malone (1942-2023), American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)