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Irish surname

Coleman: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Colmáin; Mac Colmáin; Ó Clúmháin; Colmán · Ó Colmáin, 'descendant of Colmán' and Mac Colmáin, 'son of Colmán' (diminutive of colm, dove); Ó Clúmháin, 'descendant of Clúmhán'

Woulfe (1923) gives Coleman as the anglicised form of several names: Irish Ó Colmáin and Mac Colmáin, from Colmán (diminutive of colm, a dove), and Ó Clúmháin of a Sligo bardic family. He also gives Colmán, 'a name in use in England in Anglo-Saxon times, but doubtless borrowed from the Irish', borne by a family that came to Ireland about the period of the Anglo-Norman invasion. In 1890 Coleman births were found principally in Cork, Roscommon, Dublin and Waterford.

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Coat of arms associated with the Coleman surname
Irish formÓ Colmáin; Mac Colmáin; Ó Clúmháin; Colmán
MeaningÓ Colmáin, 'descendant of Colmán' and Mac Colmáin, 'son of Colmán' (diminutive of colm, dove); Ó Clúmháin, 'descendant of Clúmhán'
CountiesCork, Roscommon, Dublin, Waterford
Other spellings2
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Coleman crest gifts

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Origin of the Coleman name

Ó Colmáin: a Ui Fiachrach family of Grangemore, parish of Templeboy, Co. Sligo, 'and doubtless of several others'. Ó Clúmháin: poets and chroniclers to the O'Haras in Sligo, with branches in South Leinster and West Munster now disguised as Coleman. Colmán: a family that came about the Anglo-Norman invasion and settled in Dublin and Leinster.[1][3][4]

  1. About the Anglo-Norman invasionA Colmán family comes to Ireland and settles in Dublin and Leinster.[4]
  2. 16th centuryÓ Colmáin most common in Cork, Tipperary, Waterford, Dublin, Wexford and four other counties.[1]
  3. 1890138 Coleman births registered (incl. varieties), chiefly Cork, Roscommon, Dublin and Waterford.[5]
  4. 1891Birth year of Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman (1891–1945).[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkFirst county Matheson names for Coleman in 1890; also first of Woulfe's 16th-century Ó Colmáin counties.[5][1]
Co. RoscommonAmong the counties where Coleman was principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. DublinPrincipal Coleman county in 1890; the Colmán family settled in Dublin after the Anglo-Norman invasion.[5][4]
Co. WaterfordAmong the counties where Coleman was principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. SligoÓ Colmáin of Grangemore, Templeboy; Ó Clúmháin, poets and chroniclers to the O'Haras.[1][3]

Notable people named Coleman

Michael Coleman1891–1945Sligo fiddler whose New York 78rpm recordings 'established standards for traditional Irish dance music'.[6]

Other spellings

Colman · MacColman[1][4]

The Coleman coat of arms

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

Coleman surname: questions

Is Coleman an Irish or English name?

It can be either. In Ireland Coleman anglicises the Gaelic Ó Colmáin, Mac Colmáin and Ó Clúmháin. Woulfe also gives Colmán, 'a name in use in England in Anglo-Saxon times, but doubtless borrowed from the Irish', and says a family of the name came to Ireland about the period of the Anglo-Norman invasion.[4][1][2][3]

What does the surname Coleman mean?

For the Irish names, Woulfe gives 'descendant of Colmán' (Ó Colmáin) and 'son of Colmán' (Mac Colmáin); Colmán is a diminutive of colm, a dove, 'a very common Irish personal name'.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Coleman name from?

In 1890 Coleman births were found principally in Cork, Roscommon, Dublin and Waterford. Woulfe places an Ó Colmáin family at Templeboy, Co. Sligo, and says the Sligo bardic Ó Clúmháin family spread to South Leinster and West Munster under the form Coleman.[5][1][3]

Who was Michael Coleman the fiddler?

A fiddler (1891–1945) from County Sligo who emigrated to the United States and recorded in New York; his 78rpm recordings 'established standards for traditional Irish dance music that still inspire Irish musicians'.[6]

Sources

  1. Ó Colmáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-colmain.php
  2. Mac Colmáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-colmain.php
  3. Ó Clúmháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-clumhain.php
  4. Colmán — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/c/colman.php
  5. Coleman — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/coleman.php
  6. The Sligo Influence: Master Fiddlers Michael Coleman & James Morrison — 'Somewhere a Voice is Calling' exhibit, Boston College Libraries. library.bc.edu/past/libraries/about/exhibits/oneill/2007summer/cole...

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