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Irish surname

McCann: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Canna · 'son of Annadh'

Woulfe (1923) gives McCann as an anglicised form of Mac Canna, 'son of Annadh', which he says is more correctly written Mac Anna. The MacCanns were lords of Cinel Aonghusa, or Clann Breasail, on the south side of Lough Neagh in Co. Armagh. In the 1890 Births Index the name was found mainly in Antrim, Armagh, Dublin and Tyrone.

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Coat of arms associated with the McCann surname
Irish formMac Canna
Meaning'son of Annadh'
CountiesArmagh, Antrim, Tyrone, Dublin
Other spellings7

Origin of the McCann name

Woulfe: 'The MacCanns were lords of Cinel Aonghusa, or Clann Breasail, on the south side of Lough Neagh, in Co. Armagh.' O'Hart (1892) says the O'Garveys were the ancient chiefs of Clann Breasal, 'but in more modern times it belonged to the MacCanns'; he places it south of Lough Neagh, in the present barony of O'Neilland East.[1][3][4]

  1. 1890177 entries for McCann and spelling variants (175 as McCann); 105 in Ulster.[5][6]

Where in Ireland

Co. ArmaghLords of Clann Breasail, south of Lough Neagh; one of the counties where the name was principally found in 1890.[1][5]
Co. AntrimFirst of the counties where McCann was principally found in the 1890 Births Index.[5]
Co. TyroneOne of the counties where McCann was principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. DublinOne of the counties where McCann was principally found in 1890.[5]

Other spellings

MacCann · M'Canna · MacKann · Mac Cana · Mac Anna · M'Anna · MacAnn[1]

The McCann coat of arms

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

McCann crest gifts

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McCann surname: questions

What does the surname McCann mean?

Woulfe gives McCann as an anglicised form of Mac Canna, 'son of Annadh'.[1]

Where in Ireland is McCann from?

Woulfe places the MacCanns as lords of Cinel Aonghusa, or Clann Breasail, on the south side of Lough Neagh in Co. Armagh. In 1890 the name was found principally in Antrim, Armagh, Dublin and Tyrone.[1][5]

Who were the lords of Clann Breasail (Clanbrassill)?

Woulfe calls Clann Bhreasail 'the clan-name of the MacCanns and their correlatives in Co. Armagh'. O'Hart says the O'Garveys were its ancient chiefs, but in more modern times it belonged to the MacCanns.[3][4]

Is McCann the same name as MacAnna?

Woulfe says Mac Canna is also written Mac Cana and, more correctly, Mac Anna; his Mac Anna entry lists M'Anna, M'Canna, MacAnn and MacCann.[1][2]

Sources

  1. Mac Canna — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-canna.php
  2. Mac Anna — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-anna.php
  3. Clann Bhreasail — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed (Irish clan names), LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/irishclans/clann-bhreasail.php
  4. Irish Chiefs and Clans in Armagh — Irish Pedigrees (John O'Hart, 1892, 5th ed.), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/Pedigrees1/irish-chiefs-clans-armagh.php
  5. McCann — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mccann.php
  6. Explanation of the Table (birth-index entries; * = includes varieties of spelling; figure in brackets = entries under the spelling given) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php

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