Show ContentsKinneman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Kinneman surname comes from a proud and ancient past. The name Kinneman appeared originally in Gaelic as Ó Connachtain. 1

Early Origins of the Kinneman family

The surname Kinneman was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Kinneman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kinneman research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kinneman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinneman Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Kinneman family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Cunigan, Conigan, Cunnigan, Conaghan, Conaughan, O'Cunigan, O'Conaghan, Connaghan, Connaughan, Kinneghan, Kinnegan and many more.

Early Notables of the Kinneman family

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


United States Kinneman migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Kinneman family in North America:

Kinneman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Eleanor Kinneman, aged 38, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Kinneman (post 1700) +

  • John A. Kinneman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 17th District, 1952 3


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook