McKernan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The original Gaelic form of McKernan was Mac Thighearnain, which is derived from the word "tighearna," which means "lord."

Early Origins of the McKernan family

The surname McKernan was first found in County Cavan, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McKernan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McKernan research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McKernan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKernan Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McKernan can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Kiernan, MacKiernan, Tiernan, McKernan, McKernon, McKernin, McKernen and many more.

Early Notables of the McKernan family

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

McKernan Ranking

In the United States, the name McKernan is the 12,775^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

McKernan migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name McKernan:

McKernan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter McKernan, who landed in America in 1811 2
John, Michael, Patrick, Robert, and William McKernan, all, who settled in Pennsylvania between 1775 and 1860
Annie McKernan, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Tyrone, in 1898
Catherine McKernan, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Tyrone, in 1899

McKernan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Anthony McKernan, aged 30, who landed in America from Leitrim, in 1904
Bernard McKernan, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Port Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
Bridget McKernan, aged 19, who landed in America from Leitrim, Ireland, in 1909
Bella McKernan, aged 26, who immigrated to America from Plumbridge, Ireland, in 1911
Annie McKernan, aged 42, who settled in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McKernan (post 1700) +

James McKernan (b. 1945), American educational theorist, Professor of Education at East Carolina University
P. Patrick McKernan, American minor league baseball executive, President of the Eastern League from 1974-1982
Tim McKernan (1940-2009), American superfan of the Denver Broncos for thirty years, better known as Barrel Man
Timothy A. McKernan II (b. 1989), American former competitive ice dancer
John Rettie "Jock" McKernan Jr. (b. 1948), American politician, 71st Governor of Maine (1987-1995), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine (1983-1987)
Ronald C. "Pigpen" McKernan (1945-1973), American musician, founding member of the Grateful Dead, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994
Thomas McKernan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Dover 3rd Ward, 1938 3
Patrick McKernan, American politician, Supervisor of Northfield Township, Michigan, 1860-62, 1863-65 3
John Rettie McKernan Jr. (b. 1948), American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives, 1973-77; U.S. Representative from Maine 1st District, 1983-87; Governor of Maine, 1987-95 3
Jerry McKernan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 2000, 2004; Member of Democratic National Committee from Louisiana, 2004 3
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html