Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Kavanack is Caomhanach, an adjective denoting association with St. Caomhan. The first Kavanagh, Donal, the son of Dermot MacMurrough, was fostered by a successor of this saint.
Early Origins of the Kavanack family
The surname Kavanack was first found in
County Carlow (Irish: Cheatharlach) a small landlocked area located in the province of
Leinster in the South East of
Ireland, where they held a
family seat from very ancient times. The Kavanaghs (Cavanaghs) were descended from the MacMorough stem and were Lords of
Leinster. Donoch McMorough was the King of
Leinster, son of Dermod and it was from Donoch from which the Cavanaghs sprang. They were descended directly from the
Heremon Line of Irish Kings. Donell, son of Dermot MacMurrough acquired the name Caomhanach, or Cavanagh. His sister Eva married
Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, the leader of the English invasion of
Ireland.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Early History of the Kavanack family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kavanack research.
Another 193 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1889, 1667 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Kavanack History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Kavanack Spelling Variations
Many
spelling variations of the surname Kavanack can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Cavanagh, Kavanagh, Kavanah, Cavanaugh, Keevan, Cavanaw, Kavanaw, Cavenaugh, Cavanough, Cavaneagh, Cavana, Cavena, Cavinaugh, Kavina, Kavena, Kavanaugh, Cavanach, Kavanach, Cabenagh, O'Cavanagh, O'Kavanagh, Keaveney, Geaveney, M'Cavanna and many more.
Early Notables of the Kavanack family (pre 1700)
Prominent amongst the family at this time was Christian Davies (1667-1739), born Christian Cavanagh in
Dublin, also known as Kit Cavanagh and Mother Ross was a...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kavanack Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Kavanack family to the New World and Oceana
In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the
Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and
Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Kavanack family came to North America quite early: Charles, Dudley, James, John, Joseph, Michael, Nicholas, Peter, Robert, Thomas and William Cavanagh, who all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1813 and 1880.