Trahan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The Trahan surname comes from the ancient Welsh personal name Trahern. Some instances of the surname are derived from the name of the settlement of Trehane in Cornwall.

Early Origins of the Trahan family

The surname Trahan was first found in Flintshire (Welsh: Sir y Fflint), a historic county, created after the defeat of the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd in 1284, and located in north-east Wales, where they held a family seat at Trehaverne (Tregavran) which was referenced in the Domesday Book.

This area is now known as Kenywn and is a civil parish in Cornwall. Kenwyn is now regarded as a suburb of the city of Truro and gives its name to one of three rivers that flow through the city. However, the surname is believed to be descended from Traherne (Trahaearn ap Caradog) son of Caradoc, Prince of North Wales in 1073. 1

Today Trehan is a hamlet near Saltash in Cornwall, England.

Early History of the Trahan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trahan research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1558, 1603, 1635, 1636, 1644, 1674 and 1686 are included under the topic Early Trahan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trahan Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Trahan has occasionally been spelled Traherne, Trahern, Treherne, Trehern, Traherne, Trahairn, Trahearne, Trahane, Trahan, Trehearn, Trahearn, Trehane and many more.

Early Notables of the Trahan family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Bartholomew Traheron (1510?-1558?), Protestant writer, born about 1510, descended from an ancient Cornish family, and is said to have been a native of...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Trahan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trahan Ranking

In the United States, the name Trahan is the 2,441^st most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Trahan is ranked the 843^rd most popular surname. 3

Trahan migration to the United States +

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families that survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Trahan:

Trahan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Bruno Trahan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1755
John Trahan, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1755-1768 4
Peter Trahan, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1755-1768 4
Pierre Trahan, who settled in Massachusetts in 1756
Charles and Margueritte Trahan, who settled in Maryland in 1763
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Trahan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Trahan Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Guillaume Trahan, his wife and daughterm, who were on record in Acadia in 1636
Guillaume Trahan, who arrived in Acadia in 1636
Guillaume Trahan, from Bourgueil, France, in the Loire Valley, who arrived in Acadia in the late 17th century

Contemporary Notables of the name Trahan (post 1700) +

Stryker Louis Trahan (b. 1994), American Major League Baseball player
Patrick Trahan (b. 1986), American football linebacker
Donald Roland "D.J." Trahan Jr. (b. 1980), American professional golfer
Donald Roland Trahan (b. 1949), American PGA Master Professional golf instructor, nicknamed "The Swing Surgeon", father of D. J. Trahan
Donald Mark "Don" Trahan (b. 1950), American politician, Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (2004-2008)
Clifford Joseph Trahan (b. 1938), birth name of Johnny Rebel, a Cajun country musician
Arthur Trahan (1877-1950), Canadian lawyer, judge and politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Nicolet (1917-1923)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)