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Irish surname

Horan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó hUghróin; Ó hOdhráin; Ó hAnnráin / Ó hArracháin (corruptions of Ó hAnradháin) · Several names, per Woulfe: Ó hUghróin 'descendant of Ughrón'; Ó hOdhráin 'descendant of Odhrán' (diminutive of odhar, pale, dark-grey); Ó hAnradháin 'descendant of Anradhán' (diminutive of anradh, warrior, champion)

Woulfe (1923) prints Horan under several different Irish surnames. Ó hUghróin was the name of a branch of the Ui Maine in Clonrush, south Co. Galway, and of an ecclesiastical family at Balla, Co. Mayo; Ó hOdhráin and corruptions of Ó hAnradháin were also anglicised Horan. In 1890, Ireland's birth indexes held 63 Horan entries, principally found in Mayo, Kerry, Tipperary and Roscommon.

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Coat of arms associated with the Horan surname
Irish formÓ hUghróin; Ó hOdhráin; Ó hAnnráin / Ó hArracháin (corruptions of Ó hAnradháin)
MeaningSeveral names, per Woulfe: Ó hUghróin 'descendant of Ughrón'; Ó hOdhráin 'descendant of Odhrán' (diminutive of odhar, pale, dark-grey); Ó hAnradháin 'descendant of Anradhán' (diminutive of anradh, warrior, champion)
CountiesMayo, Galway, Kerry, Tipperary
Other spellings7
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Origin of the Horan name

Woulfe gives Horan as an anglicised form of: (1) Ó hUghróin, the name of a branch of the Ui Maine in Clonrush parish, south Co. Galway, and of a family of coarbs of St. Mochua at Balla, Co. Mayo; (2) Ó hOdhráin; (3) Ó hAnnráin and Ó hArracháin, corruptions of Ó hAnradháin. Ó hOdhráin is 'not now distinguishable in pronunciation' from Ó hAnnráin and Ó hUghróin.[1][2][3][4][5]

  1. 1245Eóin Ó hUghróin appointed Bishop of Elphin (Woulfe).[1]
  2. 1246Four Masters: 'John O'Hughroin, son of the Coarb of Mochua, Bishop of Elphin, died.'[8]
  3. 16th centuryÓ hUghróin 'generally anglicised O Horane, or O Horan' (Woulfe).[1]
  4. 189063 Horan birth entries; principally Mayo, Kerry, Tipperary and Roscommon.[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. MayoÓ hUghróin coarbs of St. Mochua at Balla; first county named for Horan births in 1890.[1][6]
Co. GalwayÓ hUghróin of Clonrush, 'very numerous', held property until the Cromwellian confiscations.[1]
Co. KerryAmong the four counties where Horan births were principally found in 1890.[6]
Co. TipperaryWoulfe: Ó hArracháin 'common in Leix and Tipperary'; a principal Horan county in 1890.[4][6]
Co. RoscommonAmong the four counties where Horan births were principally found in 1890.[6]

Notable people named Horan

Eóin Ó hUghróinappointed 1245Woulfe: a member of the Balla coarb family; appointed Bishop of Elphin in 1245 'but died the next year'.[1]

Other spellings

O Horan · O Horane · Haran · Haren · Horahan · Harhan · Haughran[1]

The Horan coat of arms

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

Horan surname: questions

What does the surname Horan mean?

It depends on the family. Woulfe gives Horan as a form of Ó hUghróin ('descendant of Ughrón'), Ó hOdhráin ('descendant of Odhrán', from odhar, pale, dark-grey), and of corruptions of Ó hAnradháin ('descendant of Anradhán', from anradh, warrior, champion).[1][2][3][5]

Is Horan an Irish name?

Yes. Woulfe lists Horan as an anglicised form of several Irish surnames, including Ó hUghróin, Ó hOdhráin, Ó hAnnráin and Ó hArracháin.[1][2][3][4]

Where in Ireland is the Horan name from?

Woulfe places Ó hUghróin in Clonrush parish in south Co. Galway and at Balla, Co. Mayo, and says Ó hArracháin was common in Leix and Tipperary. In 1890 Horan births were principally found in Mayo, Kerry, Tipperary and Roscommon.[1][4][6]

Are Horan and Hanrahan the same name?

Partly. Woulfe lists both Hanrahan and Horan among the anglicised forms of Ó hAnradháin, and calls Ó hAnnráin and Ó hArracháin (both anglicised Horan) corruptions of it. He also gives Horan as a form of Ó hUghróin and of Ó hOdhráin.[5][3][4][1][2]

Sources

  1. Ó hUghróin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hughroin.php
  2. Ó hOdhráin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hodhrain.php
  3. Ó hAnnráin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hannrain.php
  4. Ó hArracháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-harrachain.php
  5. Ó hAnradháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hanradhain.php
  6. Horan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/horan.php
  7. Horan — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/914.php
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1242–1251 (part 8; M1246.1) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text008.html

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