O'Brannigan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of O'Brannigan

The original Gaelic form of O'Brannigan was Ó Branagain, derived from bran, which means raven. 1

Early Origins of the O'Brannigan family

Early History of the O'Brannigan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Brannigan research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1610 is included under the topic Early O'Brannigan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Brannigan Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name O'Brannigan revealed many variations, including Branagan, Branigan, Brangan, Brangen, Branghan, Branikan, Brankin, Brannagan, Brannahan, Brannaghan, Brannaghin, Brannigan, Braendigan, Brandigan, O'Branagan and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Brannigan family

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

Migration of the O'Brannigan family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. 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 O'Brannigan or a variant listed above, including: Felix, Francis, James, John, Lawrence, Michael, Patrick, and Thomas Branagan, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1834 and 1870; John Branagan settled in Charleston in 1796.