Drennan is a surname of Irish origin. Variations of the name are found primarily in
Ireland,
Scotland, and the
United States. The surname is purportedly derived from the
GaelicÓ Droighneáin, Ó Draighnáin, or Ua Draighnen, meaning "descendant of Draighnen", or "descendant of blackthorn". Variant spellings include Drennen, Drenning,
Drennon,
Drinan, Drinnan, Drinnon, and Drynan.[1][2]Thornton is another
Anglicized surname from the same original Gaelic form.[3]
Background
The Irish Uí Draighnáins, a descendant
clan of the dynasty of
Uí Maine, specifically claiming descent from the
Síol Anmchadha branch,[4] were chiefs of the country lying around Sliabh Eisi, on the borders of
County Clare and
Galway. They were formerly hereditary chief
Brehons or judges of the principalities of Hy-Many and Hy-Fiachra Aidhne, in South
Connacht, and had their chief residence at a place called Ard-na-Cno, in the parish of Killiny, and barony of
Kiltartan, as we are informed in the
Book of Lecan: "To the Aes Brengair belongs the stewardship of the arch-chief of Hy-Many, and it is the office of the Ui-Draighnen to distribute justice to the tribes."[5][6]
Further Information
According to statistics cited by
Patrick Hanks, 1,113 people on the island of
Great Britain and 592 on the island of
Ireland bore the surname Drennan in 2011. In 1881 there were 404 people with the surname in Great Britain, primarily at
Renfrewshire,
Ayrshire,
Lanarkshire, and
Lancashire. In mid-19th-century Ireland, people with the surname Drennan were found mainly at
County Laois and
County Kilkenny.[1] The
2010 United States Census found 4,233 people with the surname Drennan, making it the 7,821st-most-common name in the country. This represented an increase in absolute numbers, but a decrease in relative frequency, from 3,927 (7,811th-most-common) in the
2000 Census.[7]
Notable people
Alexander Drennan (1899–1971), New Zealand labourer, trade unionist, communist and watersider
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surnameDrennan. If an
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