Concannon — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mac Conchainn / O Concheanainn
Meaning: 'son of Conchobhar, or descendant of Con-Ceanainn, hound of Cean'
Traditional stronghold: Galway
Pronunciation: kon-KAN-un; Irish O Concheanainn: oh kun-KAN-in
History of the Concannon name
Concannon derives from O Concheanainn, a sept firmly rooted in County Galway, part of the dense cluster of Connacht surnames built on the 'Con-' (hound) element combined with a further personal name, in this case perhaps 'Ceanann', meaning fair-headed. The family held lands in the Galway/east Connacht area through the medieval period, remaining a stable local presence rather than a ruling dynasty. The O prefix generally fell away in later centuries, though it has occasionally been retained or revived. Concannon remains one of the more distinctive and recognisably Galway surnames, comparatively concentrated in that county and its neighbours, and travelled abroad through the 19th- and 20th-century waves of emigration, notably to the United States.
Variants: O'Concannon · Concanon
Famous bearers of the name
- Don Concannon — British Labour politician of Irish descent
- Jack Concannon — American football quarterback of Irish descent
- Sean Concannon — Irish sportsperson
- Marie Concannon — Irish community figure
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Lynch · Connolly · Burke · Clarke · Hughes · Keane · Kenny