Flanagan - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Flannagáin
Meaning: “red, ruddy”
Traditional stronghold: Roscommon, Fermanagh
Pronunciation: fluh-NAG-un; Irish O Flannagain: oh FLAN-uh-gawn
History of the Flanagan name
O Flannagain, 'descendant of Flannagan' (from flann, meaning red or ruddy), was the name of several distinct septs, the most prominent being lords of Tuath Ratha in County Fermanagh and another family of note in County Roscommon linked to the O'Conor kings of Connacht, for whom Flanagans served as hereditary stewards. A further branch existed near the Roscommon/Longford border. Because the root name Flann was widely used, the surname developed independently in multiple regions rather than from one single ancestor. It anglicised early and consistently to Flanagan, and remains especially common in Roscommon, Fermanagh, Monaghan and across Connacht and Ulster generally, having spread further afield through the 19th- and 20th-century emigration.
Variants: O'Flanagan · Flannagan
Famous bearers of the name
- Father Edward Flanagan - Irish-American priest, founder of Boys Town in Nebraska
- Fionnuala Flanagan - Irish actress
- Sinead Flanagan - wife of Eamon de Valera and First Lady of Ireland
- Tommy Flanagan - Scottish actor of Irish descent
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · O'Connor · Murray · Brennan · Maguire · Flynn · Cassidy · Kenny