The original Gaelic form of the name O'Carnahan is Ó Cearnachain, which is derived from the word "cearnach," which means "victorious." 1
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Early Origins of the O'Carnahan family
The surname O'Carnahan was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
Early History of the O'Carnahan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Carnahan research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early O'Carnahan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
O'Carnahan 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 O'Carnahan dating from that time include Kernahan, Kernaghan, Carnahan, Carnaghan and others.
Early Notables of the O'Carnahan family
More information is included under the topic Early O'Carnahan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the O'Carnahan 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 O'Carnahan or a variant listed above, including: Alexander Kernaghan who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1830; along with John (1840) and William(1856); Thomas Kernahan settled in Philadelphia in 1850.
