Scanlin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Scanlin originally appeared in Gaelic as O Scannlain or Mac Scannlain, which are both derived from the word "scannal," which means "contention."

Early Origins of the Scanlin family

The surname Scanlin was first found in County Louth (Irish: Lú) the smallest county in Ireland, located on the East coast, in the Province of Leinster. "The Mac Scanlans were a sept of Louth, from whom the ancient locality of Bally Mac Scanlan took its name. The first of the family mentioned by D'Alton is Patrick O'Scanlan, who was made archbishop or Armagh in 1261. " [1] According to O'Hart, the family claim descent from the Heremon Kings of Ireland, more specifically through the O'Shaughnessey pedigree as Tuadan, brother of Duach was the ancestor of O'Scannla which is Anglicized as Scanlan. [2] However, MacLysaght claims that there are two quite distinct septs; the O Scannlain of Munster and MacScannlain of Louth. The latter claimed Bally Mac Scanlan (Ballymacscanlan) as their ancient homeland. He continues pointing out that there are six places names Ballymacscanlan throughout Ireland eluding to the family's widespread distribution. [3]

Early History of the Scanlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scanlin research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1272 is included under the topic Early Scanlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scanlin Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Scanlin were encountered in the archives: Scanlan, O'Scannell, O'Scanlan, O'Scanlon, MacScanlan, Scanlin and many more.

Early Notables of the Scanlin family

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

Scanlin migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Scanlin name:

Scanlin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary Scanlin, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 [4]
Barnet, Charles, John, and Patrick Robert Scanlin, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870
John Scanlin, who arrived in America in 1854 [4]
Morris Scanlin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1879 [4]
William Joseph Scanlin, who landed in Mississippi in 1894 [4]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Scanlin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Scanlin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Betty Scanlin, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Bartley" in 1833

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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)