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Irish surname

Shannon: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Seanáin; Ó Seanacháin; Mac Giolla tSeanáin · Ó Seanáin: 'descendant of Seanán' (diminutive of sean, old, wise)

Shannon is an English form of more than one Irish surname. Woulfe (1923) gives it under Ó Seanáin, 'a scattered surname'; under Ó Seanacháin, a Dalcassian family whose name is also anglicised Shanahan; and under Mac Giolla tSeanáin, a Co. Clare form 'often anglicised Shannon'. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 72 Shannon entries, principally in Antrim, Clare and Roscommon.

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Coat of arms associated with the Shannon surname
Irish formÓ Seanáin; Ó Seanacháin; Mac Giolla tSeanáin
MeaningÓ Seanáin: 'descendant of Seanán' (diminutive of sean, old, wise)
CountiesClare, Antrim, Roscommon
Other spellings4

Origin of the Shannon name

Woulfe gives three Irish names behind Shannon: Ó Seanáin, 'a scattered surname'; Ó Seanacháin, a Dalcassian family, chiefs of Ui Ronghaile in east Thomond until 1318; and Mac Giolla tSeanáin, in use in Co. Clare. MacShannon he gives as Mac Seanáin, a Meath family, lords of Gaileanga.[1][2][3][4]

  1. 12th centuryMacShannon lords of Gaileanga until 'about the middle of the 12th century'.[4]
  2. 1318Ó Seanacháin chiefs of Ui Ronghaile expelled by Torlough O'Brien and the MacNamaras.[2]
  3. 189072 Shannon birth entries; principally Antrim, Clare and Roscommon.[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. ClareMac Giolla tSeanáin is in use in Co. Clare, 'often anglicised Shannon'; a principal 1890 county.[3][6]
Co. AntrimFirst county named for Shannon births in 1890 (Ulster had 29 of 72).[6]
Co. RoscommonNamed among the counties where Shannon births were principally found in 1890.[6]

Other spellings

O'Shannon · Shanon · Shanny · Shannagh[1]

The Shannon coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Shannon 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.

Shannon crest gifts

Clan Oshannon Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap UC81 Oshannon Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Oshannon Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Shannon Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapQU99 Classic Cap - Shannon Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Shannon Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Oshannon Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapUQ63 Classic Cap - Oshannon Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Oshannon Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Shannon surname: questions

What is the Irish for the surname Shannon?

Woulfe gives Shannon as an anglicised form of several Irish names: Ó Seanáin ('descendant of Seanán', from sean, old, wise), Ó Seanacháin and, in Co. Clare, Mac Giolla tSeanáin. MacShannon he gives as Mac Seanáin.[1][2][3][4]

Where in Ireland is the Shannon surname from?

Woulfe calls Ó Seanáin 'a scattered surname' and says the Clare form Mac Giolla tSeanáin is often anglicised Shannon. In 1890 Shannon birth-index entries were found in all four provinces (Leinster 10, Munster 19, Ulster 29, Connaught 14), principally in Antrim, Clare and Roscommon.[1][3][6]

Is Shannon the same name as Shanahan?

Sometimes. Woulfe lists Shannon among the English forms of Ó Seanacháin, the Dalcassian family also anglicised Shanahan, who after 1318 settled at first in Co. Waterford. Matheson recorded Shannon and Shanahan being used interchangeably in registration records.[2][7][8][9]

Is Shannon related to Giltinane?

Woulfe says Mac Giolla tSeanáin, anglicised Giltenane, Giltinane and Giltenan, is in use in Co. Clare, where it is 'often anglicised Shannon'. He gives it as a variant of Mac Giolla Seanáin, 'son of Giolla Seanáin' (servant of St. Senan).[3][5]

Sources

  1. Ó Seanáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/os/o-seanain.php
  2. Ó Seanacháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/os/o-seanachain.php
  3. Mac Giolla tSeanáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-giolla-tseanain.php
  4. Mac Seanáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macs/mac-seanain.php
  5. Mac Giolla Seanáin, Mac Giolla Sionáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-giolla-seanain-mac-giolla-sionain...
  6. Shannon — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/shannon.php
  7. Shannon — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1860.php
  8. Shanahan — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1859.php
  9. Memorandum explanatory of Alphabetical List — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/memorandum.php

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