McManus / Coat of Arms, Family Crest and McManus / Family History

McManus / Family History

The ancient origin of the name McManus was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The name McManus is often stated to be Norse in origin but in fact it is as thoroughly Irish as any ancient Gaelic name. McManus is McMaghnuis in modern Irish, meaning 'son of Magnus'. In two separate cases it descended from individual persons called Maghnus. The first is descended from Maghnus who died in 1181, son of Turlough O'Connor, King of Ireland, and who was seated in the parish of Kilronan in Roscommon. The other, a distinguished Fermanagh family, lived on the shores of Lough Erne. The present day bearers of the name are found in greater numbers in their original habitat than elsewhere. The name holds second place in the list of most numerous names in Fermanagh, but does not so appear in any other County. It is however, in some parts of Ulster, disguised under the English form Moyne.The McManus 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 McManus descendants.