Show ContentsNunant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Nunant

What does the name Nunant mean?

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Nunant 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 Nunant family

The surname Nunant 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 Nunant family

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

Nunant Spelling Variations

The archives that survive today demonstrate the difficulty experienced by the scribes of the Middle Ages in their attempts to record these names in writing. Spelling variations of the name Nunant dating from that time include Noonan, O'Nunan, O'Noonan, Nunan, Neenan and others.

Early Notables of the Nunant family

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

Migration of the Nunant family

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Nunant or a variant listed above, including: James, John, and Patrick Nonan who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870; Bartholomew, Cornelius, Daniel, Edward, John, Judy, Michael, Peter, and Thomas Noonan all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870.



  1. 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


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