O'Kannan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of O'Kannan

While the Anglicized versions of Irish names are often familiar to people, their Irish Gaelic heritage is often unknown. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Kannan is Ó Canain, from the word "cano," which means "wolf cub." 1

Early Origins of the O'Kannan family

Early History of the O'Kannan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Kannan research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1659 and 1687 are included under the topic Early O'Kannan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Kannan Spelling Variations

The search for the origins of the name O'Kannan family name revealed numerous spelling variations. These variants can be somewhat accounted for when it is realized that before widespread literacy people only recognized their name by pronunciation; it was up to scribes to decide how it was to be formally recorded. Variations found include Cannon, O'Cannon, MacCannon, Cannan, Cannen, Cannin, MacCannan, McCannon, McCannan and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Kannan family

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

Migration of the O'Kannan family

Thousands of Irish left in their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries to escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, and in the search of a plot of land to call their own. These immigrants arrived at the eastern shores of North America, early on settling and breaking the land, and, later, building the bridges, canals, and railroads essential to the emerging nations of United States and Canada. Many others would toil for low wages in the dangerous factories of the day. Although there had been a steady migration of Irish to North America over these years, the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name O'Kannan or a variant listed above: Edward and Ann Cannon who settled in Virginia in 1646; John Cannon settled in Barbados in 1660; another John settled in Jamaica in 1716; Alexander, Andrew, Anthony, Barney, Bernard, Bridget, Charles, Cornelius, Daniel Dennis, Edward, Ennis, George, Hugh, James, John, Mannis, Michael, Neal, Owen, Patrick, Philip, Thomas and William Cannon all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1772 and 1866.