Brosnahan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

Etymology of Brosnahan

What does the name Brosnahan mean?

The ancient Brosnahan surname is derived from the Irish Gaelic "ó Brosnacháin," which may be derived from the place name Brosna in Kerry. 1

Early Origins of the Brosnahan family

The surname Brosnahan was first found in Kerry (Irish: Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they held a family seat as Chiefs and kin to both the Dunns and the Dempseys. Irish history, after the Norman Conquest of England, was strongly influenced by the invasion of Strongbow in 1172, almost equal to the enormous Irish cultural impact on England Scotland, Wales and the whole of Europe before the Norman Conquest from the 1st to 7th centuries. Many Irish clanns, sept names were intermixed and family groupings became almost indistinguishable.

Early History of the Brosnahan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brosnahan research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brosnahan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brosnahan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brosnan, Brosnahan, O'Brosnan, Brosnochain, Bresnahan, Bresnan, Brosna, Brosnihan and many more.

Early Notables of the Brosnahan family

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

Brosnahan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brosnahan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Brosnahan, who arrived in New York in 1846 2

Brosnahan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brosnahan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Patrick Brosnahan, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
Mr. Patrick Brosnahan, (b. 1820), aged 20, British labourer travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 3
Miss Margaret Brosnahan, British dairymaid travelling from London aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1867 3
Miss Johanna Brosnahan, British dairymaid travelling from London aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1867 3
Mr. Hugh Brosnahan, (b. 1852), aged 18, British ploughman travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Brosnahan (post 1700) +

Katherine Noel Brosnahan (1962-2018), birth name of Kate Spade or Kate Valentine, the American co-founder and namesake of the designer brand, born in Kansas City, Missouri
Rachel Brosnahan (b. 1990), American Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award wining actress, daughter of Katherine Noel Valentine Brosnahan (Kate Spade)
Commander James J. Brosnahan, U.S. Navy commander of the McMurdo Station winter party in the Antartic in 1961, eponym of Brosnahan Island
James Brosnahan, American lawyer and federal prosecutor
Cornelius M. Brosnahan, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Nashua 4th Ward, 1948; Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Nashua 4th Ward, 1956 4
Maureen Brosnahan, Canadian co-host of The World at Six on CBC Radio One

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html