Contents [hide]

Corcoran History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Corcoran History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Corcoran

What does the name Corcoran mean?

The name Corcoran comes from the Gaelic Mac Corcrain or Ó Corcrain, both of which are derived from the word "corcair," which now means purple, but originally meant ruddy. 1

Early Origins of the Corcoran family

The surname Corcoran was first found in County Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Corcoran family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corcoran research. Another 194 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1001, 1172, 1373, 1641, 1691, 1827, 1861 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Corcoran History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Corcoran Spelling Variations

The scribes who created documents long before either the Gaelic or English language resembled their standardized versions of today recorded words as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages the names of many people were recorded under different spellings each time they were written down. Research on the Corcoran family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including MacCorcoran, O'Corcoran and others.

Early Notables of the Corcoran family

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

Corcoran World Ranking

In the United States, the name Corcoran is the 1,968^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Corcoran is ranked the 598^th most popular surname with an estimated 76 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Corcoran is the 983^rd popular surname with an estimated 4,042 people with that name. 4

Corcoran migration to the United States +

Under the rule of England, land ownership in Ireland changed dramatically, and many native Irish families found themselves renting out land to farm from absentee owners. This was one of the prime reasons that immigration to North America began in the late 18th century: Irish farmers dreamed of owning their own parcel of land to work for themselves. At this point, the immigrants were at least of modest means for the passage across the Atlantic was often quite dear. In the 1840s the Great Potato Famine created an exodus of people of quite different means. These people were most often destitute: they either sold anything they had to gain a passage or they were sponsored by philanthropic societies. Many of these immigrants were sick from disease and starvation: as a result many did not survive the long transatlantic journey. Although those settlers that did survive were often despised and discriminated against by people already established in these nations, they were critical to rapid development of the powerful industrial nations of the United States and the country that would later become known as Canada. An examination of immigration and passenger lists shows many persons bearing the name of Corcoran or one of its variants:

Corcoran Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacobi Corcoran, who settled in St Patrick's Parish with his wife, where his daughter Joanne, was baptized in 1774

Corcoran Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Corcoran who settled in New York State in 1811
Win Corcoran, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 5
William Corcoran, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 5
David Corcoran, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
Andrew Corcoran, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1832
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Corcoran migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Corcoran Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Corcoran was a laborer in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1779 6

Corcoran Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Pat Corcoran, aged 24, Scottish settler who landed in Red River, Canada in 1811
Patt Corcoran, aged 24, who arrived in Canada in 1811
Thomas Corcoran, aged 37, who landed in Canada in 1812
Edward Corcoran, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1825
James Corcoran, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Corcoran migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Corcoran Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Corcoran, (b. 1768), aged 50, Irish house maid who was convicted in Longford, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Luke Corcoran, (James, Coroner), (b. 1801), aged 19, Irish errand boy who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Patrick Corcoran, Irish convict who was convicted in Ireland, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 28th September 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. James Corcoran, (b. 1807), aged 28, Irish coal miner who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for life for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Blackwell" on 29th September 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Philip Corcoran, (b. 1824), aged 19, Irish farmer who was convicted in Waterford, Ireland for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Constant" on 9th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1899 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Corcoran 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:

Corcoran Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Corcoran, (b. 1839), aged 26, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 12
Denis Corcoran, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1867
Betsy J. Corcoran, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1867
Matthew Corcoran, aged 19, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Osborne" in 1867
Francis Corcoran, aged 3, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Osborne" in 1867
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Corcoran (post 1700) +

James Sean Patrick "King" Corcoran (1943-2009), American football player
Michael Corcoran (1956-2024), American music journalist and author who wrote for Spin, The Austin Chronicle, the Austin American-Statesman, and The Dallas Morning News
Michael Corcoran (1827-1863), Irish-born, Brigadier-General of federal volunteers in the American Civil War, born at Carrowskill, co. Sligo, Ireland, 21 Sept. 1827; he emigrated to America in 1849 13
Marjorie Diane Blasius Corcoran (1950-2017), American particle physicist and professor at Rice University
Noreen M. Corcoran (1943-2016), American actress, dancer and singer, best known for her co-starring role in the television sitcom Bachelor Father (1957-1959)
Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran (1949-2015), nicknamed "Moochie", an American director, producer, and former child actor, best known for Mrs. Santa Claus (1996), Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) and Sons of Anarchy (2008) and as James Boone on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1957-1963)
William Wilson Corcoran (1798-1888), American banker, philanthropist and art collector
Tommy Corcoran (1869-1960), American Major League Baseball player
Timothy Hugh Corcoran (b. 1978), American Major League Baseball player
Bob Corcoran, American television host during the late 1960s and early 1970s
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Corcoran family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Denny Corcoran (d. 1912), aged 33, English Fireman/Stoker from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 14

USS Arizona

Mr. Gerard John Corcoran, American Seaman First Class from New York, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 15

The Corcoran Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In fide et in bello fortis
Motto Translation: Strong in both faith and war.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 2nd January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/castle-forbes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/constant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html