Shannon (surname)


For other uses, see Shannon (disambiguation).
Shannon
Language(s) Scots
Origin
Language(s) Old Irish[1]
Word/Name senchaid[1]
Derivation cognate
Meaning skilled storyteller
Other names
Variant(s) MacShannon, O'Shannon
Cognate(s) senchaid

Shannon, MacShannon, and O'Shannon are Anglicised Irish and Scottish surnames that derive from the Gaelic word seanachaidh, which means "skilled storyteller".[1] Seanachaidh is a corruption of the Old Irish word senchaid.

Other forms of the name are Gilshenan and Giltennen. It is also connected to O'Shawnessey or O'Shannahan.

Several old Gaelic names of Scottish and Irish people alike were Anglicised as Shannon, despite being unrelated.

The 1990 United States Census found that Shannon was a very common surname (#679 out of 88,799) in the United States.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Shannon". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 2009. ISBN 9780395825174. OCLC 43499541. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  2. ↑ Campbell, Mike. "Shannon". Behind the Name. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
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