Finnegan
An Irish surname usually understood as a form of Ó Fionnagáin, meaning a descendant of a little fair-haired one or little fair one.
The #3,068 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,400 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Finnegan is generally traced to the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Fionnagáin. That form means “descendant of Fionnagán,” a personal name built from fionn, “fair” or “white,” with a diminutive ending, so the literal sense is something like “little fair one.” The surname is therefore usually treated as a Gaelic patronymic rather than as a place-name or occupation.
History
The name is Irish in origin and is found especially in Ireland, with later spread through emigration to Britain, North America, and other English-speaking countries. Nineteenth-century surname writers recorded it among Irish names in use in places like Roscommon and Sligo, reflecting its established presence in the west and midlands of Ireland. In modern usage it is well known as an Irish-American surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it comes from a diminutive of fionn, the surname’s core meaning is not just “fair” but something like “the little fair-haired one.”
From the historical record
“" Finan," 6 in Roscommon and 3 in Sligo. »FJnegan (52)-Finnegan •Finliy (69), 116 76”
— Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (numerical strength, derivation, distribution)