Moynihan
An Irish surname, usually understood as a Gaelic family name from Munster, especially associated with Clare, Cork, and Tipperary.
The #7,627 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,943 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Moynihan is the anglicized form of an Irish Gaelic surname usually written Ó Muimhneacháin or a close variant in older sources. The name is generally taken to mean “descendant of Muimhneachán,” a personal name built from Muimhneach, meaning “Munsterman” or “person of Munster,” with the diminutive ending -án. In plain terms, it points to a family line identified with Munster.
History
The surname is strongly Irish and is especially linked in older records with Munster counties such as Clare, Cork, and Tipperary. 19th- and early-20th-century Irish surname writers also treat Moynihan as closely related to forms like Monahan, Moynahan, and Moynan, reflecting the difficulties of rendering Irish names into English spelling. The name remains most familiar today in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books often group Moynihan with a cluster of spellings that can look unrelated at first glance, because one Irish name could be written many different ways in English records.
From the historical record
“[Myers]. MOYNIHAN. [Monaghan]. 304 («), 429. Monahan. 186. Monehan. 186. Monohan. 301 (.«). Moynahan. Moynan. 219. MUCKADY.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland