| {{ad}} |
|
|
|
| Origins Available: |
| | Ireland |
Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Ronayne family in Ireland was Ó Ronain, which means descendant of Ronan. The popular personal name Ronan may derive from the word ron, which means a seal.
The surname Ronayne was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. John Ronayne is recorded in the County of Cork in the year 1139. The name is from the old Gaelic O'Roynian and they were apparently an old Munster family until the Anglo/Norman invasion of 1172, when their lands were forfeited and the family dispersed.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ronayne research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1139 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Ronayne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name Ronayne revealed spelling variations, including Ronane, Ronayne, O'Ronayne, O'Ronan, Roonane, O'Roonane, Roonan, O'Roonan and many more.
Notable amongst the family name at this time was
Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Ronayne name: