| ![Show Contents]() Counihan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Counihan originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Cuana, probably derived from "cuan," which means elegant. 1 Early Origins of the Counihan familyThe surname Counihan was first found in Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, and later migrated to north Connacht. Early History of the Counihan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Counihan research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Counihan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Counihan Spelling VariationsNames from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Counihan revealed many variations, including Cooney, O'Cooney, Counihan and others. Early Notables of the Counihan familyAnother 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Counihan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Counihan migration to the United States | + |
To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Counihan or a variant listed above, including:
Counihan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Hannah Counihan, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Limerick, in 1904
- Thomas Counihan, aged 20, who settled in America from Cullen, Ireland, in 1907
- John Counihan, aged 19, who landed in America from Banteer, Ireland, in 1908
- Hannah Counihan, aged 21, who settled in America from Ireland, in 1908
- Margaret Counihan, aged 24, who landed in America from Abbeyfeale, Ireland, in 1910
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Counihan (post 1700) | + |
- Kevin Counihan, American CEO of healthcare.gov
- John Joseph Counihan (1879-1953), Irish politician, Member of Seanad Éireann from 1922 to 1936 and from 1938 to 1951
- Conor Counihan (b. 1959), Irish Gaelic football manager and retired player
- Noel Counihan (1913-1986), Australian social realist painter
- MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
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Counihan migration to the United States 
