Ronan Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Ronan Family History

Ronan Family History

The Ronan 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 Ronan include O'Ronan and Ronayne. This name in Irish is O'Ronain and the latter variants are the anglicized forms of this. This sept came from County Cork. A sept or clan was a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. There where several small septs of this name but by the sixteenth century there was only one left. They were of the Ui Fiachrach. In County Dublin they were erenaghs of Clondalkin. They were landholders in that area up to the end of the thirteenth century. The head of the midland sept was a Chieftain in the Barony of Granard until dispossessed by the O'Farrells in the thirteenth century. In modern times the name is numerous in its original habitat of Counties Cork and Waterford. The Ronan 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 Ronan descendants.