Kearns Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Kearns Family History

Kearns Family History

The Kearns ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Kearns include O'Kerin, Kearn and Kerrane. This Gaelic sept, known in Irish as O'Ceirin, was in early times in possession of the greater part of the present barony of Costello, County Mayo, of which their Chiefs were paramount. During the mediaeval period their influence waned somewhat though they still remained in their native habitat and also spread into the neighbouring Counties. An inquisition of 1609 describes them as the erenaghs of Killaghtee, in the diocese of Raphoe. In the census of 1659 we find them in County Sligo. It is in County Mayo that they are still numerous today. Another sept anglicized their name as Kerin or O'Kerin. Kearon in Wicklow and Kerrane in Mayo are among the several other variants of these names, which are today quite widespread throughout Ireland.The Kearns family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Kearns descendants.