Hanahan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Hanahan appeared as Ó Dubhain, where the name means a "dark complexioned man." 1

Early Origins of the Hanahan family

The surname Hanahan was first found in County Clare, County Limerick and Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland. Some of the County Clare families were thought to have been regionally in County Cork. 2

O'Hart notes the family claims descent to the Heber line of ancient Irish kings through the O'Hara line. 1

Early History of the Hanahan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hanahan research. Another 190 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1612, 1628, 1675, 1679, 1717, 1720, 1724, 1727 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Hanahan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hanahan Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Hanahan family name include Downs, Down, Downe, Downes and others.

Early Notables of the Hanahan family

Notable among the family name at this time was William Ducie (c. 1612-1679), created 1st Viscount Downe in 1675; Andrew Downes, also known as Dounaeus, (c.1549-1628), English classical scholar, one of the seven translators of the...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hanahan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hanahan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hanahan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Hanahan, aged 20, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Escort"

Hanahan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hanahan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Timothy Hanahan, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Hanahan (post 1700) +

Thomas J. Hanahan, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972 4
Nancy Hanahan, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 2012 4

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html