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Irish surname

Lanigan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Lonagáin; Ó Luineagáin · probably 'descendant of Lonagán' (diminutive of lon, 'a blackbird')

Woulfe (1923) gives Lanigan under two headwords: Ó Lonagáin, probably 'descendant of Lonagán' (diminutive of lon, 'a blackbird'), an origin he calls 'not quite clear'; and Ó Luineagáin, which he describes as 'an attenuated form of Ó Lonagáin.' In 1890, Matheson's report counted 21 Lanigan birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties (18 spelled Lanigan), principally found in Kilkenny. A sourced bearer of the name is John Lanigan (1758-1828), the Cashel-born ecclesiastical historian.

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Coat of arms associated with the Lanigan surname
Irish formÓ Lonagáin; Ó Luineagáin
Meaningprobably 'descendant of Lonagán' (diminutive of lon, 'a blackbird')
CountiesKilkenny
Other spellings10

Origin of the Lanigan name

Woulfe gives Lanigan under two headwords: Ó Lonagáin, 'probably descendant of Lonagán' (diminutive of lon, 'a blackbird'), whose origin he calls 'not quite clear' — O'Donovan thought it might be a corruption of Ó Longacháin, and Woulfe adds 'Ó Fhlannagáin is not an unlikely origin'; and Ó Luineagáin, 'an attenuated form of Ó Lonagáin.'[1][2]

  1. 1822John Lanigan's Ecclesiastical History of Ireland published by subscription, 4 vols.[4]
  2. 189021 entries including spelling varieties (18 spelled Lanigan).[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. KilkennyMatheson: 'Counties in which principally found Kilkenny.'[3]

Notable people named Lanigan

John Lanigan1758-1828D.D., ecclesiastical historian; born Cashel 1758; professor of Hebrew, Ecclesiastical History and Divinity, Pavia; died 1828.[4]

Other spellings

O Lonagan · O Lonegan · O Lanegane · O Lannegan · Lannigan · O Lenagan · Lenagan · Lenegan · Lenigan · Lynegan[1]

The Lanigan coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Lanigan surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Lanigan crest gifts

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Lanigan surname: questions

What does the surname Lanigan mean?

Woulfe gives Lanigan as 'probably descendant of Lonagán' (diminutive of lon, 'a blackbird'), though he calls the origin 'not quite clear'.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Lanigan name from?

Matheson's 1909 report counted 21 birth entries in Ireland in 1890 including spelling varieties (18 spelled exactly Lanigan), principally found in Kilkenny.[3]

Is Lanigan related to Ó Longacháin or Ó Fhlannagáin?

Woulfe notes that O'Donovan thought Ó Lonagáin 'might be a corruption of Ó Longacháin', and adds that 'Ó Fhlannagáin is not an unlikely origin'; he says of the name itself that 'the origin is not quite clear'.[1]

Who was John Lanigan?

John Lanigan, D.D. (1758-1828), born at Cashel, was an ecclesiastical historian, professor of Hebrew, Ecclesiastical History and Divinity at Pavia, and author of the Ecclesiastical History of Ireland (1822).[4]

Sources

  1. Ó Lonagáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-lonagain.php
  2. Ó Luineagáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-luineagain.php
  3. Lanigan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/lanigan.php
  4. Lanigan, John — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/JohnLanigan.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).