McBreen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

The Irish name McBreen has evolved from the Gaelic Mac Braoin or O Braoin.

Early Origins of the McBreen family

The surname McBreen was first found in County Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh), the former Kingdom of Osraige (Ossory), located in Southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster, where the family is descended through the Heremon line and claim to be direct descendants of King Niall of the Nine Hostages. They were known as the Lords of Brawney ^[1] and were an Ossory sept (Clann) seated near Knocktopher, Kilkenny, until they had to forfeit their lands by the Anglo Norman invasion of Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke in 1172. They were subsequently dispersed throughout Ireland.

Important Dates for the McBreen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McBreen research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1303, 1324, 1560 and 1625 are included under the topic Early McBreen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McBreen Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name McBreen dating from that time include Breen, Breene, Brean, Breane, Bruen, Brawney, O'Breen, O'Braoin and many more.

Early Notables of the McBreen family (pre 1700)

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McBreen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McBreen migration to Canada

Thousands of Irish families left for North American shores in the 19th century. These people were searching for a life unencumbered with poverty, hunger, and racial discrimination. Many arrived to eventually find such conditions, but many others simply did not arrive: victims of the diseased, overcrowded ships in which they traveled to the New World. Those who lived to see North American shores were instrumental in the development of the growing nations of Canada and the United States. A thorough examination of passenger and immigration lists has disclosed evidence of many early immigrants of the name McBreen:

McBreen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Mary McBreen, aged 21, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
• Rose McBreen, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland

Contemporary Notables of the name McBreen (post 1700)

• Tom McBreen (1952-1972), American bronze medalist swimmer at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• T. C. McBreen, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1888 ^[2]
• Daniel McBreen (b. 1977), English football striker
• Chris McBreen (b. 1972), New Zealand snooker player

Citations

1. ^ O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
2. ^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html