Contents [hide]

Lennon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Lennon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. Lennon originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Leannain, which is possibly derived from the word leann, which denotes a cloak. Another possible derivation is from the word leanan, which means paramour.

Early Origins of the Lennon family

The surname Lennon was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Lennon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lennon research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lennon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lennon Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Lennon are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Lennon, Lannin, Lannon, Linnane, O'Lennon, Lennane, Leonard, MacAlinion, O'Lennan and many more.

Early Notables of the Lennon family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

John Brown Lennon, American Labour Movement

Lennon Ranking

In the United States, the name Lennon is the 4,111^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1

Lennon 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 Lennon family in North America:

Lennon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Lennon, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Peirce Lennon, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 2
Pierce Lennon, who landed in Virginia in 1642 2
Edmund Lennon, who landed in Virginia in 1642 2

Lennon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Lennon, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Henry Lennon, aged 17, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
James Lennon, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Matthew Lennon, who arrived in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1842 2
Mathew Lennon, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1844 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lennon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lennon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Patrick Lennon, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
Miss. Bridget Lennon who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Progress" departing from the port of New Ross, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in 1847 3
Mr. Martin Lennon, aged 8 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Progress" departing from the port of New Ross, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
Mr. Patrick Lennon, aged 46 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 11847 3
Miss. Ann Lennon, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Erin's Queen" departing 1st June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 23rd July 1847 but she died on board 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lennon migration to Australia +

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

Lennon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Stephen Lennon, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. John Lennon, (b. 1793), aged 25, Irish labourer who was convicted in Carlow, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 9th August 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1838 6
James Lennon, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 7
Mr. Edward Lennon, (b. 1813), aged 30, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Roscommon, Ireland for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Constant" on 9th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mary Lennon, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lennon 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:

Lennon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Lennon, (b. 1835), aged 27, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 10
Miss Jane Lennon, (b. 1836), aged 28, Cornish dairy maid departing on 20th February 1864 aboard the ship "Ivanhoe" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th June 1864 11
Edward Lennon, aged 24, a carpenter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maraval" in 1879

Lennon migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12

Lennon Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Richard Lennon, who settled in Barbados with his wife and servants in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Lennon (post 1700) +

John Winston Ono Lennon MBE (1940-1980), English singer/songwriter, member of the Beatles, posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994
Patrick Orlando Lennon (b. 1968), American former Major League Baseball outfielder
Thomas Lennon (b. 1970), American actor, comedian and writer
George D. Lennon, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 6th District, 1882 13
Francis X. Lennon, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 4th District, 1962 13
Elizabeth M. Lennon, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1988 13
Edward Lennon, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hudson County, 1886-87 13
Bernie Lennon, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1984 13
Arcy Lennon, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1948 13
Alton Asa Lennon (1906-1986), American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate, 1947, 1951; U.S. Senator from North Carolina, 1953-54; U.S. Representative from North Carolina 7th District, 1957-73 13
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lennon family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. George Henry Lennon (d. 1914), British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14
Mr. James Joseph Lennon (1884-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 14

RMS Titanic

Mr. Denis Lennon (d. 1912), aged 20, Irish Third Class passenger from Ballymahon, Longford who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 15
Miss Mary Lennon (d. 1912), aged 18, Irish Third Class passenger from Ballymahon, Longford who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 15

The Lennon 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: Prisco stirpe hibernico
Motto Translation: Of an ancient Irish stock

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIR CHARLES FORBES (originally Charles Forbes) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839SirCharlesForbes.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/constant
South Australian Register Thursday 29th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Trafalgar 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/trafalgar1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html