Hannan
A surname that often traces back to an older place-name form, though in Ireland it can also reflect Gaelic names that were later anglicized in several similar spellings.
The #4,962 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,571 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hannan is not settled to one single origin. In English records, Bardsley treats it as probably a variant of Hanham, a place-based surname from the villages of Hanham in Gloucestershire and nearby forms in Dorset and Wiltshire. In Irish material, Woulfe and Matheson place Hannan alongside spellings such as Hannon, Hannen, and Hanin as anglicized forms of Gaelic names, especially ones beginning with Ó and Han- elements, so the name may have arisen independently in more than one tradition.
History
The name appears in both English and Irish surname records, which helps explain why it has more than one likely source. In England it is associated with southwestern counties and London in early modern records; in Ireland it is found in multiple spellings and is especially noted in counties such as Dublin, Waterford, and Tyrone. Because the spellings Hannan, Hannon, Hannen, and related forms often overlap in old sources, family histories can be hard to assign to a single origin without local evidence.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same historical spelling could point to different roots depending on where a family lived, so Hannan is one of those surnames where geography matters a great deal.
From the historical record
“Sannam ; v. Hanham. Hannen. Hannan.— Probably a variant of Hanham (q.v.], being found in the same county. MDB. (co. DoiKl), I, o ; (eo, Wilts) 1,0; London. I, i.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances