Hannifan Family Crest, Coat of Arms & Hannifan Name Origin

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Origin of the Name Hannifan

The ancient history of the name Hannifan was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. include Hanvey, O'Hanraghty, Enright and Hannivan. These names are derived in Ireland from the Gaelic O'hAinbheain sept of County Monaghan and from the O'hAinbhith sept of Counties Armagh and Down in Ulster Province. Other minor septs were located in Counties Meath and Cork . The latest available statistics show that apart from the city of Dublin , in which, of course, there are migrant families from all parts of Ireland , nearly all births of these names took place in Counties Louth, Armagh, and Monaghan. The Chiefs of these families, of whom several are mentioned by 'The Four Masters' between 1019 and 1161, under the style of Lords of Ui Meith, held a considerable territory in the northern part of the modern County Louth. The pressure of the Anglo-Norman invasion pushed them westwards into County Monaghan, and in the twelfth century they settled near the modern town of Castleblaney.