Posted by Joan Coogan on July 02, 19102 at 10:08:05:
In Reply to: Last name posted by Kate Canan on March 18, 19102 at 16:38:51:
: Hi! I've always been interested in genealogy, and I was wondering if you could tell me what my last name means. My last name is Canan. Where does it come from? Does it have a coat of arms? How old has the name been around?
: Also, would you mind looking up Davidson, Hoak, and Smith for the same things? I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi Kate,
I am a Canan and have been trying to locate the area fom which my great-grandfather originated; most of my information is on the family name which I have traced to around 400A.D. It derives from the Ua Canannain sept of Ireland which was derived from the Milesian kings. They were the kings of what is now County Donegal until around 1100A.D. There were also a couple of high kings of Ireland during their reign. The English changed their names to Cannon, Cannan, Canon, Canaan, Canann, Canan, and others. When the English defeated them, they were banished to the most northern part of Donegal; The varied derivatives of the name are all over Ireland, especially Cannon. It is very difficult to find the Canan's; I have located many who arrived in the US from the late 1700's to the early 1900's.
They do have a coat-of -arms; the O'Canannains have one and the Cannons another. Hope this helps.