Contents [hide]

McMann History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

McMann History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

In its ancient Gaelic form, the Irish name McMann was written Mac Mathghamhna, which later became Mac Mathuna. Both names are derived from the word "mathghamhan," which means "bear."

Early Origins of the McMann family

The surname McMann was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where the MacMahons were lords of Corca Baisgin; and possessed the greater part of the baronies of Moyarta and Clonderlaw. 1

"The Munster MacMahons formerly possessed the greater part of the Baronies of Moyarta and Clonderalaw, in the County Clare, in which county the predominant name now is McMahon." 2

Early History of the McMann family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMann research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1119, 1519, 1600, 1606, 1643, 1644, 1650, 1660, 1680, 1707, 1715, 1727, 1737, 1747 and 1780 are included under the topic Early McMann History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McMann Spelling Variations

Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname McMann that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are MacMahon, MacMann, MacMahan, MacMohan and others.

Early Notables of the McMann family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Séamus mac Pilib Mac Mathghamhna (died 1519), was Bishop of Derry. Hugh Oge MacMahon (1606-1644), was an Irish conspirator, was probably of Sir Brian MacHugh Oge MacMahon, Lord of the Dartree in the county of Monaghan. Herber MacMahon (1600-1650), Bishop of Clogher in 1643, a Catholic leader, commanded the Ulster...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McMann Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McMann Ranking

In the United States, the name McMann is the 9,213^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

McMann migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name McMann, or one of its variants:

McMann Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M McMann, aged 29, who arrived in America, in 1892
Pat McMann, aged 69, who arrived in America from Liverpool, England, in 1892
Bernard McMann, aged 22, who arrived in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1899

McMann Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edward McMann, aged 28, who arrived in America from Sunderland, in 1902
Ellen McMann, aged 19, who arrived in America from Ireland, in 1902
Miss J. McMann, aged 30, who arrived in America, in 1903
Mrs. A. McMann, aged 60, who arrived in America, in 1903
Ellin McMann, aged 5, who arrived in America from London, England, in 1905
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McMann migration to Australia +

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

McMann Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John McMann, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

McMann 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:

McMann Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John McMann, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Pegasus" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name McMann (post 1700) +

Ed McMann, American disc jockey, voice-over talent and radio personality from Boston
Jamie McMann (b. 1976), American record producer, mixer, and audio engineer
Charlene McMann, American advocate for cancer patients and children
Sara McMann (b. 1980), the first American woman in history to receive a silver medal in women's wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Lisa McMann (b. 1968), American author
Charles McMann (1951-2021), Canadian professional football running back from Toronto who played 10 seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Montreal Alouettes and Montreal Concordes
Chuck McMann (b. 1951), former professional Canadian CFL football running back and current special teams coordinator
Scott McMann (b. 1996), Scottish professional footballer

The McMann 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: Sic nos sic sacra tuemur
Motto Translation: Thus we guard our sacred rights.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza