Hanihan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Hanihan

The Irish name Hanihan originally appeared in Gaelic as "O hEanain," but sometimes is an abbreviated form of the surname Henagahn.

Early Origins of the Hanihan family

Early History of the Hanihan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hanihan research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Hanihan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hanihan Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Hanihan that are preserved in archival documents are Heenan, Henaghan, Henehan, Heenon, Hanegan, Hannegan, Hanigan, Hannigan, Haneghan and many more.

Early Notables of the Hanihan family

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

Migration of the Hanihan family

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Hanihan name: Dennis, James, John, Martin, Mathias, Michael, Patrick and Robert Heenan, all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860; Mrs. Ellen Henegan settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1850.