Noonan — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: O Nuanain
Meaning: 'descendant of Nuanan' (possibly linked to nua, meaning new)
Traditional stronghold: Clare, Cork
Pronunciation: NOO-nan; Irish O Nuanain: oh NOO-a-nawn
History of the Noonan name
Noonan derives from O Nuanain, a name whose exact meaning is debated but which may connect to nua, meaning new or fresh. The sept was based in County Clare, with the surname spreading south into County Cork, where it became especially numerous, and it is Cork that today holds by far the greatest concentration of the name. Noonan avoided the more drastic anglicisation suffered by many Gaelic surnames, keeping a form close to the original Irish throughout its history. It has become one of the standard Munster surnames, well represented among the Irish diaspora as well as within Ireland itself.
Variants: Noonane · O'Noonan
Famous bearers of the name
- Michael Noonan — Fine Gael politician and former Minister for Finance during Ireland's post-crash recovery
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Murphy · O'Brien · O'Sullivan · McCarthy · Kennedy · Quinn · Daly · Collins