Show ContentsConcannane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Concannane

What does the name Concannane mean?

Gaelic, otherwise known as Early Modern Irish, was used in Ireland from around the year 1200 until the 18th century. It is from this language that we found the first references to the name Concannane as Ó Concheanainn, possibly meaning "fair headed hound." 1

The family descends from Cuceannan, who was killed in 991. Another reference, claims that the surname could have been derived from MacConceannain, and in this case it was derived from the Irish "conn," a man's personal name + "gan," which means without + "an," which means a "lie," collectively meaning "Conn the speaker of truth." 2

Early Origins of the Concannane family

The surname Concannane was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, and Roscommon where they claim descent from the Heremon kings, from the Ui Bruin and more specifically they were derived from Dermot, brother of Murias the 29th King of Connacht who was alive in the 9th century. They claim descendancy from the O'Connors, hence the similarity of the Coat of Arms which both depict a tree at the center point.

Early History of the Concannane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Concannane research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1690, 1732, 1748 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Concannane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Concannane Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Concannane were encountered in the archives: Concannon, O'Concannon, Cancannon, Concanon, Cancanon, O'Concanon, Connon and many more.

Early Notables of the Concannane family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Concannane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Concannane family

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Concannane name: Patrick Cancannon arrived in New York State in 1811; Michael Concannon who arrived in Philadelphia in 1878; Edward, George, James, Michael, Timothy, arrived in Philadelphia or Boston between 1840 or 1870.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook