Drennan is a surname alleged to be of multiple distinct origins. Variations of the name are found primarily in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, however, Irish and Scottish families of this name may not necessarily be related. The surname is purportedly derived from the Gaelic

Ó Droighneáin Ó Droighneáin, Gaelic-Irish surname. Background Ó Droighneáin was a surname of at least two different septs, located in Counties Cork and Galway, but has been 'translated' as Thornton, an English surname. "horntonis a portmanteau English nam ...

, Ó Draighnáin, or Ua Draighnen, meaning "descendant of Draighnen", or "descendant of blackthorn". Variant spellings include Drennen, Drenning, Drennon, Drinan, Drinnan, Drinnon, and Drynan. Thornton is another

Anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...

surname from the same original Gaelic form.

Background

The Irish Uí Draighnáins, a descendant clan of the dynasty of Uí Maine, specifically claiming descent from the

Síol Anmchadha Síol Anmchadha was a sub-kingdom or lordship of Uí Maine, and ruled by an offshoot of the Uí Maine called the Síol Anmchadha (''"the seed of Anmchadh"''), from whom the territory took its name. It was located in Connacht, Ireland. Histor ...

branch, were chiefs of the country lying around Sliabh Eisi, on the borders of

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

and

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

. They were formerly hereditary chief

Brehons Early Irish law, historically referred to as (English: Freeman-ism) or (English: Law of Freemen), also called Brehon law, comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norma ...

or judges of the principalities of Hy-Many and Hy-Fiachra Aidhne, in South

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

, and had their chief residence at a place called Ard-na-Cno, in the parish of Killiny, and barony of

Kiltartan Kiltartan is a barony and civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. The southern portion of this barony was formerly known as Cenél Áeda na hEchtge or O'Shaughnessy's Country, the northern portion was called Coill Ua bhFiachrach (the territory o ...

, as we are informed in the

Book of Lecan The (Great) Book of Lecan (Irish: ''Leabhar (Mór) Leacáin'') (RIA, MS 23 P 2) is a medieval Irish manuscript written between 1397 and 1418 in Castle Forbes, Lecan (Lackan, Leckan; Irish ''Leacán''), in the territory of Tír Fhíacrach, n ...

: "To the Aes Brengair belongs the stewardship of the arch-chief of Hy-Many, and it is the office of the Ui-Draighnen to distribute justice to the tribes."

Further Information

According to statistics cited by

Patrick Hanks Patrick Hanks (born 24 March 1940) is an English lexicographer, corpus linguist, and onomastician. He has edited dictionaries of general language, as well as dictionaries of personal names. Background Hanks was educated at Ardingly College, ...

, 1,113 people on the island of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

and 592 on the island of

bore the surname Drennan in 2011. In 1881 there were 404 people with the surname in Great Britain, primarily at

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

, Ayrshire,

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...

, and

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

. In mid-19th-century Ireland, people with the surname Drennan were found mainly at County Laois and County Kilkenny. The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

found 4,233 people with the surname Drennan, making it the 7,821st-most-common name in the country. This represented an increase in absolute numbers, but a decrease in relative frequency, from 3,927 (7,811th-most-common) in the 2000 Census.

Notable people

* Alexander Drennan (1899–1971), New Zealand labourer, trade unionist, communist and watersider *

Alexander Murray Drennan Alexander Murray Drennan FRSE FRCPE (4 January 1884 – 29 February 1984) was a Scottish pathologist. In the First World War, he promoted the widespread use of Edinburgh University Solution (sold under the brand name of Eusol). A keen yachts ...

(1884–1984), Scottish pathologist * America McCutchen Drennan (1830–1903), American educator and missionary *

Anthony Drennan Anthony "Anto" Drennan (born on 1 November 1958) is an English-born Irish guitarist noted for his involvement with the Corrs, Genesis and Mike + the Mechanics among others. Drennan is from a musical Irish family and was born in Luton, England ...

(born 1958), Irish guitarist *

Bruce Drennan Bruce Drennan (born May 1, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American sportscaster based in Cleveland, Ohio. A former Major League Baseball (MLB) announcer, National Basketball Association (NBA) announcer, and sports radio personality, Drennan ho ...

(born 1950), American sports announcer *

Bryce W. Drennan Bryce W. Drennan (born 1963) is an American author who wrote the book ''Indigo E-Print 1000+ Graphic Designer’s Companion : The Essential Independent Guide to Digital Offset Printing''. " In 1995, Drennan was a press operator and production manage ...

(born 1963), American writer * Cathy Drennan (), American professor of chemistry and biology * Charles Drennan (born 1960), New Zealand Roman Catholic bishop *

Ellie Drennan Eloise Suzanne Drennan (born 28 October 1998) is an Australian pop singer-songwriter. She is the youngest winner of ''The Voice Australia'', competing as a member of Team Jessie at the age of 16, in July–August 2015. She gained a large follo ...

(born 1998), Australian singer-songwriter *

John Drennan John Drennan (real name Sean Armstrong) is an Irish political journalist and writer. He is a columnist for the ''Sunday Independent'', an occasional TV panelist and a frequent contributor to radio shows. From County Laois he was educated at St. P ...

, Irish journalist and writer * John Drennan (cricketer) (born 1932), Australian cricketer *

John Cherry Drennan John Cherry Drennan JP DL (born 1899 died 1983) was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland. Drennan studied at Foyle College before working as a farmer in the Limavady area. He became active in the Ulster Unionist Party, and served for it in ...

(1899–1983), Northern Ireland politician * John Swanwick Drennan (1809–1893), Irish poet * Kathryn M. Drennan (), American writer * Keity Drennan (born 1990), Panamanian model * Mandy Drennan (born 1988), Australian Paralympic swimmer *

Mark Drennan Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

(born 1972), American politician from West Virginia * Martin Drennan (1944-2022), Irish Roman Catholic bishop * Michael Drennan (born 1994) Irish professional footballer * Robert Drennan (), American archaeologist * Samuel Drennan (1819–1882), Irish-born merchant and politician in Ontario, Canada * Thomas Drennan (1696–1768), Irish Presbyterian minister * Thomas J. Drennan (1877–1928), New York City Fire Commissioner *

William Drennan William Drennan (23 May 1754 – 5 February 1820) was an Irish physician and writer who moved the formation in Belfast and Dublin of the Society of United Irishmen. He was the author of the Society's original "test" which, in the cause of ...

(1754–1820), Irish poet *

William Melville Drennan William Melville Drennan (November 15, 1853 – May 28, 1900) was a merchant and politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as mayor of Kingston from 1890 to 1891. The son of Samuel Trangott Drennan, a native of Ireland, he was born in Kingston ...

(1853–1900), merchant and politician in Ontario, Canada

References

{{surname, Drennan Surnames of Irish origin