Hoban — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó hÚbáin
Meaning: 'descendant of Úbán'
Traditional stronghold: Kilkenny, Mayo
Pronunciation: HOH-bun; Irish Ó hÚbáin: oh HOO-bawn
History of the Hoban name
Ó hÚbáin derives from an old personal name of obscure meaning. The sept belongs by origin to County Mayo, where the name has been recorded since medieval times and remains well represented, but a long-settled branch in County Kilkenny produced its most celebrated son. James Hoban, born near Callan around 1755 and trained in the Dublin Society's drawing school, emigrated to America and won the 1792 competition to design the President's House in Washington; he supervised the building of the White House and its reconstruction after the fire of 1814, giving this small Irish surname a permanent place in American history.
Variants: Hobin
Famous bearers of the name
- James Hoban — Kilkenny-born architect of the White House in Washington.
- Edward F. Hoban — Long-serving Irish-American Catholic bishop of Cleveland.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Walsh · Brennan · Burke · Fitzpatrick · Tobin · Moran · Higgins · Conway