LONERGAN
Lonergan is a surname of Gaelic origin that has been recorded in the annals of Irish history since the mid‑tenth century. The name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Ó Longargáin, which literally means “descendant of Longargán.”
The personal name Longargán is a compound of long, meaning “ship,” and gargán, a word that has been interpreted as “rough” or “rugged.” The earliest recorded bearer of the hereditary surname is Donell O'Lonergan, who is listed in the Records of the Council of Kells in 1152 as Archbishop of Cashel.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the O’Lonergan sept was established in north‑east Thomond, a region of County Tipperary situated on the east side of Lough Derg. They were later displaced by the Anglo‑Norman Butler family and settled southwards at Cashel and Cahir, where their numbers have endured into the present day.
In ecclesiastical history the sept is noteworthy for providing a succession of senior clerics between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. Six of its members became archbishops or bishops, two of Killaloe and three of Cashel, and members of the family served as harpers in the retinue of the O’Kellys of Ui Maine. A small patrimony belonging to the O’Lonergans was held at Ballynabanaby in south‑east Galway around 1400.
Notable bearers in more recent centuries include the Irish‑born American poet and politician Thomas S. Lonergan (born 1861) and the Irish nun Anne Lonergan, who was imprisoned during the French Revolution. In American media the name is best known from the journalist and television news anchor Peter Lonergan.
The coat of arms traditionally associated with the Lonergan family depicts on a blue chevron three gold estoiles, with two red arrows in saltire pointing downward positioned in chief. The heraldic device is regarded as a visual reminder of the sept’s martial and ecclesiastical heritage.
In contemporary times the surname is most commonly found in the United States, Canada, Ireland and Australia. Within the United States it is frequently recorded in the states of Massachusetts and New York, while in Canada the name appears most often in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The surname remains a recognisable marker of Irish heritage abroad, with a significant proportion of bearers residing in the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Variants and alternate spellings of the name that have appeared in historical documents include Lonergam, Lonerghan, Lonergon, Lonergane, Lunergan and O’Lonergan. These forms reflect orthographic changes over the centuries but retain a common Gaelic root.
Typical given names associated with the Lonergan surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Peter
- Sean
- Thomas
Female
- Anne
- Caroline
- Elizabeth
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Maria
- Mary
- Michele
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Lonergan in...
Braille
⠇⠕⠝⠑⠗⠛⠁⠝
Morse
.-..----...-.--..--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,673 people named Lonergan in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,904th most common surname in Britain. Around 26 in a million people in Britain are named Lonergan.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Lonergan
- Andy Lonergan - Liverpool football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.