Show ContentsConan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Conan Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Conan

What does the name Conan mean?

The ancient name Conan is an Old Breton name, originally Conan, which was "the name of Breton chiefs, kings and of a saint; one of the Breton names introduced at the Conquest and common among tenants of the Richmond fee in Lincolnshire and and Yorkshire." 1

Another source claims the "surname is derived from the name of an ancestor, 'the son of Conan,' an early legendary name. No doubt more modern representatives of this name would be found in our directories had not Conan as a surname got confused with the more ecclesiastical Cannon or Canon. The final 't' and 'd' in Conant and Conand are, of course, excrescences." 2

Early Origins of the Conan family

The surname Conan was first found in Lincolnshire where the Latin form Conanus dux Britanniae et comes Richemundie was recorded a. 1155. A few years later, Henricus filius Conani,

Cunani was recorded in the Pipe Rolls for Northumberland in 1196 and later in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1208. Connand, Conian Gossipe was a Freeman of York (1479-1486) and Robert Connand and Adam Conand were listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1319. 1

The source Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. includes an entry for Conan de Kirketun. Lincolnshire, (Henry III-Edward I Testa de Nevill) in London, the source Excerpta e Rotulis Finium in Turri Londinensi includes an entry for Conan le Mire, Henry III. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Conan Piscator, Lincolnshire; Petronilla Conayn, Lincolnshire; William Conayn, Lincolnshire; and Henry filius Conani, Yorkshire.2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 also included Robert Connand et uxor ejus; Adam Conand; and Conon d'Ask, Yorkshire, 1391. )Bardsley)

"As a personal name Conan lingered on till the close of the 15th century. It is also interesting to notice that in the two counties (York and Lincoln) where we find the personal namewasonee in use we see the surname flourishing to-day." 2

More recently, the Connant variant is principally found in Devon since the nineteenth century. 3

Early History of the Conan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conan research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1583, 1592, 1608, 1630, 1638, 1679, 1694, 1775, 1899, 1951, 1954 and 1973 are included under the topic Early Conan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conan Spelling Variations

Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Conan, Conane, Conad, Connan, Connant, Conant and others.

Early Notables of the Conan family

  • Sir Arthur Conant; and Rev. John Conant D.D. (1608-1694), an English clergyman, theologian, and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. He was the "son of Robert and Elizabeth Conant, was born at Yettin...
  • John Conant, was a yeoman of East Budleigh, Devon. He is considered to be the progenitor of the Devon branch. His son Richard (1548-1630), had eight children including his second son Robert (c. 1583-1...
  • Sir Roger Conant, 1st Baronet (1899-1973) was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) who served as Comptroller of the Household from 1951 to 1954 and was created a Baronet in 1954

Conan Ranking

France, the name Conan is the 1,344th most popular surname with an estimated 4,226 people with that name. 4

Conan migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Conan, or a variant listed above:

Conan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Conan, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 5
Conan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peter, Betty, and Michael Conan, who, who landed in New Bedford, Maryland in 1805
  • Betty Conan, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1805 5
  • Michael Conan, aged 3, who landed in New York, NY in 1805 5
  • Peter Conan, aged 32, who arrived in New York, NY in 1805 5
  • Adam Conan, who arrived in New York in 1820
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Conan (post 1700) +

  • Neal Conan (1949-2021), American radio journalist, producer, editor, and correspondent who worked for National Public Radio for over 36 years
  • Abraham P. Conan, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 12th District, 1932, 1934 6
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), English novelist best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes
  • Sir Conan Aske,
  • Conan Christopher O'Brien (b. 1963), American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer

The Conan 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: Conanti Dabitur
Motto Translation: It shall be given to him who tries.
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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