Show ContentsKernodle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of the name Kernodle is Ó Cearnachain, which is derived from the word "cearnach," which means "victorious." 1

Early Origins of the Kernodle family

The surname Kernodle was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Kernodle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kernodle research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Kernodle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kernodle Spelling Variations

Scribes and church officials, lacking today's standardized spelling rules, recorded names by how they were pronounced. This imprecise guide often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Kernodle are preserved in documents of the family history. The various spellings of the name that were found include Kernahan, Kernaghan, Carnahan, Carnaghan and others.

Early Notables of the Kernodle family

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

Migration of the Kernodle family

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many Kernodles: Alexander Kernaghan who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1830; along with John (1840) and William(1856); Thomas Kernahan settled in Philadelphia in 1850.


Contemporary Notables of the name Kernodle (post 1700) +

  • Charles Donald Kernodle Jr. (1950-2021), American professional wrestler with the National Wrestling Alliance from Burlington, North Carolina
  • John Kernodle, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for North Carolina, 1972 2


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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