Show ContentsHassan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Gaelic name used by the Hassan family in ancient Ireland was Ó hOsain, which is possibly derived from the word "os," which means deer. 1

Early Origins of the Hassan family

The surname Hassan was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where the surname is still the found today.

Early History of the Hassan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hassan research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1598 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Hassan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hassan Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Hassan revealed many variations, including Hassan, Hassen, Hasson, Hason, O'Hassan, Hassane, O'Hessan and many more.

Early Notables of the Hassan family

Notable among the family name at this time was

  • John Hassane, an influential merchant in Wexford county (c.1550)

Hassan Ranking

In the United States, the name Hassan is the 6,179th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Hassan is ranked the 8,581st most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 3


United States Hassan migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish left in their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries to escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, and in the search of a plot of land to call their own. These immigrants arrived at the eastern shores of North America, early on settling and breaking the land, and, later, building the bridges, canals, and railroads essential to the emerging nations of United States and Canada. Many others would toil for low wages in the dangerous factories of the day. Although there had been a steady migration of Irish to North America over these years, the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Hassan or a variant listed above:

Hassan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Patrick Hassan, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 4
  • Christian Hassan, who arrived in New Jersey in 1755
Hassan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Michael Hassan, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
  • Alexander and John Hassan who arrived in New York in 1816
  • Alexander Hassan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4
  • John Hassan, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4

Canada Hassan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hassan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Marcus Hassan, aged 14 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wakefield" departing 28th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th July 1847 but he died on board 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hassan (post 1700) +

  • Ihab Habib Hassan (b. 1925), American literary theorist and writer
  • Aly Hassan (b. 1989), American soccer player
  • Margaret Wood "Maggie" Hassan, elected to the New Hampshire Senate in November 2004
  • Alex Hassan, American pianist
  • Syed Hassan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 2004 6
  • Mushir Hassan, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 2008 6
  • Lutfe Hassan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 2000 6
  • Ahmad Hassan, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 18th District, 2006 6
  • Karen Hassan, Northern Irish actress
  • Margaret Hassan (1945-2004), Irish aid worker
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  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)
  5. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 79)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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