Show ContentsNunnent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Nunnent

What does the name Nunnent mean?

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

The surname Nunnent 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 Nunnent family

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

Nunnent Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Nunnent family

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

Migration of the Nunnent family

A massive wave of Irish immigrants hit North America during the 19th century. Although many early Irish immigrants made a carefully planned decision to leave left Ireland for the promise of free land, by the 1840s immigrants were fleeing a famine stricken land in desperation. The condition of Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s can be attributed to a rapidly expanding population and English imperial policies. Those Irish families that arrived in North America were essential to its rapid social, industrial, and economic development. Passenger and immigration lists have revealed a number of early Irish immigrants bearing the name Nunnent: 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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