Show ContentsO'Nunen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of O'Nunen

What does the name O'Nunen mean?

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name O'Nunen 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 O'Nunen family

The surname O'Nunen 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 O'Nunen family

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

O'Nunen Spelling Variations

The spelling of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was rarely consistent. This inconsistency was due to the scribes and church officials' attempts to record orally defined names in writing. The common practice of recording names as they sounded resulted in spelling variations such as Noonan, O'Nunan, O'Noonan, Nunan, Neenan and others.

Early Notables of the O'Nunen family

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

Migration of the O'Nunen family

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of O'Nunen were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists: 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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