Finane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

Etymology of Finane

What does the name Finane mean?

The roots of the Finane surname in Ireland are somewhat unclear; it seems that the name was both native Irish Gaelic, and Norman. The Gaelic name "ó Fionnáin" seems to be derived from Gaelic word "fionn, "which means "fair." This Gaelic name has been Anglicized as Finan and Fanning, both of which are also Norman names that came to Ireland in the 12th century.

Early Origins of the Finane family

The surname Finane was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they were of the Hy Fiachrach Sept. One notable bearer of the personal name who lived several centuries prior to the introduction of hereditary surnames was St. Finan (Finan of Lindisfarne) who died in 661 AD, and achieved repute for his missionary work in England. He was Bishop of Lindisfarne (651-661) and he converted the kings Sigebert of Essex and Peada of the Middle Angles to Christianity. 1

Early History of the Finane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Finane research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1659, 1847 and 1901 are included under the topic Early Finane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finane Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Finan, O'Finan, Ofinan, Finane and others.

Early Notables of the Finane family

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

Migration of the Finane family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: George Finnan, on record in Ontario, Canada in 1804; James Finan, who came to Ontario in 1818; Patrick Finan, who was naturalized in New York city in 1833.

Sources +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print