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Irish surname

Brennan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Braonáin · 'descendant of Braonán' (diminutive of Braon)

Brennan is an anglicised form of the Irish Ó Braonáin, 'descendant of Braonán'. Woulfe (1923) records four families of that name, in Kilkenny, Westmeath, Galway and Kerry, and notes that Brennan was also used for the separate names Ó Branáin and Mac Branáin. In 1890 Kilkenny was the leading county for Brennan births.

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Coat of arms associated with the Brennan surname
Irish formÓ Braonáin
Meaning'descendant of Braonán' (diminutive of Braon)
CountiesKilkenny, Westmeath, Galway, Kerry
Other spellings10

Origin of the Brennan name

Woulfe lists four families named Ó Braonáin: in Ossory, whose head was chief of Ui Duach in north Kilkenny; at Crevagh, Co. Westmeath, 'a numerous and powerful clan'; in Siol Anmchadha (barony of Longford, south-east Galway), of the same race as the O'Maddens; and in Dunkerron, Kerry, followers of O'Sullivan More.[1]

  1. late 1500sÓ Braonáin of Siol Anmchadha still numerous in south-east Galway.[1]
  2. c. 1768Dr John Brennan born at Ballahide, Co. Carlow.[5]
  3. 1852Inventor Louis Brennan born at Castlebar, Co. Mayo, on 28 January.[6]
  4. 1861Louis Brennan's family emigrates to Melbourne.[6]
  5. 1890Birth indexes: 358 Brennan births, 178 of them in Leinster.[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. KilkennyOssory family, chiefs of Ui Duach in the north of the county, 'where the name is still very common'.[1][4]
Co. WestmeathÓ Braonáin of Crevagh, 'a numerous and powerful clan'.[1]
Co. GalwayOf the same race as the O'Maddens; still numerous in the barony of Longford in the late 16th century.[1]
Co. KerryÓ Braonáin of Dunkerron, followers of O'Sullivan More, still numerous in Kerry.[1]
Co. RoscommonMac Branáin, chiefs of Corca Achlann, a large district; now generally, 'but not quite correctly', anglicised Brennan.[2]

Notable people named Brennan

John Brennan, M.D.c. 1768–1830Carlow-born physician and classical scholar who died in Dublin; edited the Milesian Magazine.[5]
Louis Brennan1852–1932Castlebar-born inventor of the dirigible torpedo; later worked on a gyroscopically stabilised monorail.[6][7]

Other spellings

O'Brennan · O Brennan · O Brenane · O Brinane · Brinane · Brinan · Brannan · Brannon · Branan · Branon[1]

The Brennan coat of arms

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

Brennan crest gifts

Clan Brennan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap WX62 Brennan Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Brennan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap$33.45Clan Brennan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapUH28 Classic Cap - Brennan Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Brennan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45

Brennan surname: questions

What does the surname Brennan mean?

Woulfe gives Brennan as an anglicised form of Ó Braonáin, 'descendant of Braonán', a diminutive of Braon.[1]

Where in Ireland is Brennan from?

Woulfe records Ó Braonáin families in north Kilkenny (Ossory), at Crevagh in Westmeath, in south-east Galway and in Dunkerron, Kerry; a separate Mac Branáin family were chiefs of Corca Achlann in Roscommon. In 1890 the most Brennan births were in Kilkenny, Dublin, Sligo, Mayo, Carlow and Roscommon.[1][2][4]

Are Brennan and Brannan the same name?

Not always. Woulfe says the anglicised forms of Ó Braonáin and Ó Branáin are almost impossible to tell apart; generally Ó Branáin is the origin in Ulster and Ó Braonáin in the other provinces.[1][3]

Who was Louis Brennan?

Mayo County Library records that Louis Brennan was born at Castlebar on 28 January 1852, that his family emigrated to Melbourne in 1861, and that the invention of the dirigible torpedo established him as an inventor.[6]

Sources

  1. Ó Braonáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-braonain.php
  2. Mac Branáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macb/mac-branain.php
  3. Ó Branáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-branain.php
  4. Brennan — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909; 1890 birth indexes), LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/brennan.php
  5. John Brennan — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/JohnBrennan.php
  6. Louis Brennan – Castlebarman who invented the dirigible torpedo, Mayo County Library (Mayo County Council). mayo.ie/en-IE/Library/Local-History/Mayo-People-(1)/Mayo-People/Lou...
  7. Irish inventor extraordinaire Louis Brennan: father of the torpedo and monorail, Engineers Journal (Engineers Ireland). engineersireland.ie/Engineers-Journal/Mechanical/irish-inventor-ext...

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