Show ContentsHannan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hannan

What does the name Hannan mean?

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Hannan family in Ireland was Ó hAnnain, which means descendant of hAnnain.

Early Origins of the Hannan family

The surname Hannan was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from very ancient times and were descended from the Kings of Ireland.

Early History of the Hannan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hannan research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1266 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Hannan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hannan Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Hannan dating from that time include Hannon, O'Hannon, Hannen, O'Hannen, Haneen and many more.

Early Notables of the Hannan family

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

Hannan Ranking

In the United States, the name Hannan is the 4,692nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Hannan 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 Hannan or a variant listed above, including:

Hannan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Hannan, who arrived in New England in 1764 2
  • Patrick Hannan, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 2
Hannan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Hannan, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 2
  • Daniel Hannan, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1870 2
  • Michael Hannan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1879 2

Hannan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hannan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Hannan, aged 24, a smith, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Sea Horse" from Galway, Ireland
  • Patrick Hannan, aged 24, a tailor, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Sea Horse" from Galway, Ireland
  • Michael Hannan was settled in Kings Cove Parish, Newfoundland in 1838 3

Hannan migration to Australia +

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

Hannan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Bridget Hannan, (b. 1779), aged 44, Irish dairy maid who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), listed as having a child on born whom died 4
  • Mary Hannan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 5
  • Bridget Hannan, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Dirigo" 6
  • Bridget Hannan, aged 29, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"

Hannan 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:

Hannan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Hannan, (b. 1838), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 7
  • Mr. William Hannan, (b. 1857), aged 21, Irish farm labourer from Sligo departing on 10th August 1878 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th November 1878
  • Francis Hannan, aged 23, a farmer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880
  • John Hannan, aged 25, a farmer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880

Contemporary Notables of the name Hannan (post 1700) +

  • Jim Hannan (1940-2024), former American baseball player
  • Monica Hannan (b. 1961), American anchorwoman in North Dakota
  • Jerry Hannan, Irish-American, singer-songwriter
  • Kyle Hannan, British-based radio broadcast professional
  • Shah Abdul Hannan (1939-2021), Bangladeshi Islamic philosopher, writer, economist, educator and media personality
  • Melissa Hannan (b. 1962), Australian model and TV personality, Miss World Australia (1981), daughter of Jimmy Hannan
  • Jimmy Hannan (1934-2019), Australian, singer and TV personality, Gold Logie winner (1965)
  • Scott Hannan (b. 1979), Canadian professional hockey player in the NHL
  • Jim Hannan (1864-1905), Welsh international rugby player

Halifax Explosion
  • Mrs. Annie Florence  Hannan (1886-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 8
  • Master Jack  Hannan (1915-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 8


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Navarino.htm
  6. South Australian Register Thursday 23rd November 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Dirigo 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/dirigo1854.shtml
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance


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