Nunan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Nunan originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Nuadhain. The original Gaelic form of the name was Ó hIonmhaineain, which was originally derived from "ionmhain," meaning "beloved."

Early Origins of the Nunan family

The surname Nunan was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

"The name Noonan occurs chiefly in Cork, in which county the O'Noonans formerly dwelt.O'Noonan was a Chief in Duhallow Barony, and there were O'Noonans in Barrymore and Kinalea Baronies." 1

Early History of the Nunan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nunan research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1341 are included under the topic Early Nunan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nunan Spelling Variations

Individual scribes in the Ireland during the Middle Ages would often record a person's name various ways. How the name was recorded depended on what that particular scribe believed the proper spelling for the name pronounced to him was. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the Nunan family name include Noonan, O'Nunan, O'Noonan, Nunan, Neenan and others.

Early Notables of the Nunan family

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

Nunan migration to Australia +

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

Nunan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Bridget Nunan, aged 35, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "General Hewett"
Bridget Nunan, aged 14, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "General Hewett"

Contemporary Notables of the name Nunan (post 1700) +

Thomas A. Nunan, American politician, Mayor of Winchester, Kentucky, 1955-57 2
Joseph D. Nunan Jr. (b. 1897), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Queens County 4th District, 1930; Member of New York State Senate 2nd District, 1931-40;Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 2nd District, 1938 2
Sheila Nunan, General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation
Brother Paul Nunan, member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, an influential educationalist in New Zealand
David Nunan (b. 1949), Australian linguist
Michael 'Mick' Nunan, former Australian rules football player

Citations +

Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html