Brennan
Ó Braonáin · descendant of Braonán
Brennan is Ó Braonáin in Irish, said oh BRAY-nawn, and means descendant of Braonán.
Braon means a drop of water or a tear, so the name is read as little drop or little sorrow. Four unrelated families, which is why it turns up all over.
How it changes
- A man: Ó Braonáin
- His daughter: Ní Bhraonáin
- A woman who married into it: Bean Uí Bhraonáin
- The family together: Uí Bhraonáin
Where it comes from
Kilkenny, Fermanagh, Kerry and Westmeath
Also spelt
Brennan, O’Brennan, Brannan
A name, not a pedigree
This is where the name came from, which is not the same as where you came from. Names were translated, anglicised, taken on by tenants and neighbours, and carried in by settlers who were no relation to the family that started them. To follow your own line, the 1901 and 1911 censuses are free and searchable, and give the county each person was born in.