Fanning — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Fainín
Meaning: 'Anglo-Norman name of uncertain origin'
Traditional stronghold: Limerick, Tipperary
Pronunciation: FAN-ing; Irish Fainín: fan-EEN
History of the Fanning name
The Fannings are an Anglo-Norman family, settled since the Middle Ages in Limerick and Tipperary, where Fanningstown Castle near Croom in Co. Limerick preserves their name; they were also long prominent among the merchant families of Limerick city, supplying it with bailiffs and mayors. The name, gaelicised Fainín, is of uncertain derivation, probably from a Norman personal name. Like other Old English families they lost heavily in the 17th-century confiscations for their Catholicism. In modern Ireland the name has been strongly associated with journalism and broadcasting through Aengus Fanning, the long-serving editor of the Sunday Independent, and Dave Fanning, the rock broadcaster who gave U2 their first radio play.
Variants: Fannin · Fanin
Famous bearers of the name
- Dave Fanning — RTÉ rock broadcaster, the first DJ to play U2 on radio and a champion of new Irish music.
- Aengus Fanning — Tralee-born editor of the Sunday Independent from 1984 to 2012, who made it Ireland's biggest-selling paper.
- Bernard Fanning — Australian singer of Irish descent who fronted the band Powderfinger.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Brien · Ryan · Kennedy · Collins · Fitzgerald · Carroll · Hayes · Hogan