Monaghan — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Manacháin
Meaning: 'descendant of the little monk'
Traditional stronghold: Roscommon
Pronunciation: MON-a-han; Irish Ó Manacháin: oh MON-a-khawn
History of the Monaghan name
Monaghan is Ó Manacháin, from manachán, a diminutive of manach, 'monk', and has no connection with the county of Monaghan, whose name means 'place of little thickets'. The sept were chiefs of a territory in north Roscommon near the Shannon, recorded in the annals from the eleventh century, and Roscommon together with neighbouring east Mayo and Galway remains the name's heartland. A separate concentration grew up in Fermanagh. The spelling Monahan is common in America, where the name has prospered in film and letters.
Variants: Monahan · Monoghan · O'Monaghan
Famous bearers of the name
- Rinty Monaghan — Belfast boxer, undisputed world flyweight champion in 1948, famed for singing in the ring.
- Michelle Monaghan — American actress of Irish descent.
- William Monahan — Boston-Irish screenwriter who won an Oscar for The Departed.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · O'Connor · Murray · Brennan · Flynn · Flanagan · Kenny · Moran