Scanlan
An Irish surname most often linked to Ó Scannláin, a family name associated with the Mac Scanlans of Louth.
The #6,068 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,607 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally treated as an Irish patronymic from Gaelic Ó Scannláin, with related forms such as Scanlon and Scannell. The old sources connect it with the Mac Scanlans of County Louth and note that it was also sometimes written O'Scanlan. The deeper meaning is not fully secure in these excerpts, but the family name is clearly Irish in form and tradition.
History
The historical notes place the Mac Scanlans among the septs of Louth and link them to Ballymacscanlan, a locality said to have taken its name from the family. One bearer singled out in the older literature is Patrick O'Scanlan, who became Archbishop of Armagh in 1261. In later records the surname appears in several anglicized spellings, including Scanlon and Scanlen.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Ballymacscanlan in County Louth preserves the memory of the family name in a place-name.
From the historical record
“tish word for shambles. Jamieson. SCANLAN". The Mac Scanlans were a sept of Louth, from whom the ancient locality of Bally-Mac-Scanlan took its name. The surname was sometimes written O'Scanlan. The first of the family men- tioned by D'Alton is Patrick O'Scanlan, who was made Archbishop of Armagh in the year 12G1.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom