Lenihan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo-Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that were not readily found within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as Lenihan, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England, but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the conquest. Originally, these place names were prefixed by "de," which means "from" in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The Lenihan family originally lived in the settlement of Llanaghan, which is in the Welsh county of Brecon.

Early Origins of the Lenihan family

The surname Lenihan was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after his invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Lenihan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lenihan research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1249 is included under the topic Early Lenihan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lenihan Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelled the names as they sounded, so a name was often spelled many different ways during the lifetime of a single person. The investigation of the origin of the name Lenihan revealed many spelling variations including Lanigan, Lanahan, Lenaghan, Lanaghan, Linehan and many more.

Early Notables of the Lenihan family

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

Lenihan Ranking

In the United States, the name Lenihan is the 10,883^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Lenihan migration to the United States +

The Irish emigration during the late 18th and 19th century contributed to the melting pot of nationalities in North America, and the building of a whole new era of industry and commerce in what was seen as a rich, new land. Ireland'sGreat Potato Famine resulted in the worst economic and social conditions in the island's history. And in response to the hunger, disease, and poverty, during this decade the total number of emigrants to leave for North America rivaled all the previous years combined. Those from this decade that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Research into early immigration and passenger lists has shown many people bearing the name Lenihan:

Lenihan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Lenihan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 2

Lenihan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lenihan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ellen Lenihan, aged 60 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Jessie" departing from the port of Limerick, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 3
Mr. John Lenihan, aged 34 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Wakefield" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 3
Mr. Denis Lenihan, aged 24 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Urania" departing 9th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 4

Lenihan 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:

Lenihan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Lenihan, (b. 1857), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 5
Miss Honora Lenihan, (b. 1859), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 5
Miss Mary Lenihan, (b. 1861), aged 17, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 5
Henry Lenihan, aged 39, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880
Catherine Lenihan, aged 39, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lenihan (post 1700) +

Winifred Lenihan (1898-1964), American actress, writer and director
Deirdre Lenihan (b. 1946), American actress
Leonard Lenihan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2004 6
Joseph F. Lenihan, American politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 2nd District, 1966 6
Conor Lenihan (b. 1963), Irish Fianna Fáil politician
Brian Lenihan Jr (1959-2011), Irish Fianna Fáil politician
Brian Lenihan Sr (1930-1995), Irish Fianna Fáil politician
Edmund Lenihan (b. 1950), Irish author
Donal Lenihan (b. 1959), retired Irish rugby union player
Leonard Lenihan, Chairman, Erie County Demcoratic Committee in Erie County, New York
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Lenihan Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Patriae infelici fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to an unhappy country.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 39)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 84)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html