Kavanagh or Kavanaugh is a surname of Irish origin,
Caomhánach in
Irish. It is one of the few Irish surnames that does not traditionally have an O or a Mac in either English or Irish (as it was is an adjectival or descriptive surname).[1][2][3][4]
"
Ach" is a
suffix meaning "related to, having, characterised by, prone to" or "person or thing connected or involved with, belonging to, having".[5]Caomhánach means relating to or belonging to Caomhán. The first Kavanagh (
Domhnall Caomhánach) was fostered by the coarb at St. Caomhan's abbey.[6][7] The meaning "
It is also known as (Mac Murchadha Caomhánach (an example of an Irish agnomen; see Ó Catharnaigh Sionnach or Fox of Fir Teathbha), but is often now rendered 'Caomhánach'. Rarely it is referred to as 'Ó Caomhánaigh' or 'Ní Caomhánaigh'.
Later descendants have sometimes added an O or Mac to the name in error,[2] likely in an ill-informed attempt to de-anglicise the name.[11][12] The addition of the O and Mac appeared to change more frequently in families who had emigrated [13] Griffith's survey noted the following between in Ireland between (1842-1854): Kavanagh (2,038), Cavanagh (434), Cavenagh (11) Kavenagh (4) O' Kavanagh (3).
The inclusion of a letter "u" in the name appears to have originated in the U.S. e.g. "Cavanaugh" and "Kavanaugh".[14]
The surname was possibly adopted by Síl Fáelchán clansmen in preference to the earlier name MacMurrough, given the prestige associated with the dynamic junior line that seized the chiefship of the Uí Cheinnselaig tribal group in the High Middle Ages.
This page lists people with the
surnameKavanagh. If an
internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that
link by adding the person's
given name(s) to the link.
Kavanagh or Kavanaugh is a surname of Irish origin,
Caomhánach in
Irish. It is one of the few Irish surnames that does not traditionally have an O or a Mac in either English or Irish (as it was is an adjectival or descriptive surname).[1][2][3][4]
"
Ach" is a
suffix meaning "related to, having, characterised by, prone to" or "person or thing connected or involved with, belonging to, having".[5]Caomhánach means relating to or belonging to Caomhán. The first Kavanagh (
Domhnall Caomhánach) was fostered by the coarb at St. Caomhan's abbey.[6][7] The meaning "
It is also known as (Mac Murchadha Caomhánach (an example of an Irish agnomen; see Ó Catharnaigh Sionnach or Fox of Fir Teathbha), but is often now rendered 'Caomhánach'. Rarely it is referred to as 'Ó Caomhánaigh' or 'Ní Caomhánaigh'.
Later descendants have sometimes added an O or Mac to the name in error,[2] likely in an ill-informed attempt to de-anglicise the name.[11][12] The addition of the O and Mac appeared to change more frequently in families who had emigrated [13] Griffith's survey noted the following between in Ireland between (1842-1854): Kavanagh (2,038), Cavanagh (434), Cavenagh (11) Kavenagh (4) O' Kavanagh (3).
The inclusion of a letter "u" in the name appears to have originated in the U.S. e.g. "Cavanaugh" and "Kavanaugh".[14]
The surname was possibly adopted by Síl Fáelchán clansmen in preference to the earlier name MacMurrough, given the prestige associated with the dynamic junior line that seized the chiefship of the Uí Cheinnselaig tribal group in the High Middle Ages.
This page lists people with the
surnameKavanagh. If an
internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that
link by adding the person's
given name(s) to the link.