# Drennan > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Drennan > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Drennan.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drennan > Source revision: 1343985777 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Drennan''' is a surname of Irish origin. Variations of the name are found primarily in [Ireland](/source/Ireland), [Scotland](/source/Scotland), and the [United States](/source/United_States_of_America). The surname is purportedly derived from the [Gaelic](/source/Irish_language) [Ó Droighneáin](/source/%C3%93_Droighne%C3%A1in), Ó Draighnáin, or Ua Draighnen, meaning 'descendant of Draighnen', or 'descendant of blackthorn'. Variant spellings include Drennen, Drenning, [Drennon](/source/Drennon_(disambiguation)), [Drinan](/source/Drinan_(disambiguation)), Drinnan, Drinnon, and Drynan.{{cite book|editor-first=Patrick|editor-last=Hanks|editor2-first=Richard|editor2-last=Coates|editor3-first=Peter|editor3-last=McClure|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2016|isbn=9780192527479|page=764|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0AyDDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA764}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FJoDDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA488|first=Patrick|last=Hanks|title=Dictionary of American Family Names|volume=1|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2003|isbn=9780199771691|page=488}} [Thornton](/source/Thornton_(surname)) is another [Anglicized](/source/Anglicisation_of_names) surname from the same original Gaelic form.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCoaAAAAIAAJ&q=thornton+drennan+anglicised|first=Padraig|last=Mac Giolla Domhnaigh|title=Some Anglicised Surnames in Ireland|publisher=Gael Co-operative Society|year=1923|oclc=3947216|page=58}} ==Background== The Irish Uí Draighnáins, a descendant [clan](/source/Sept) of the dynasty of [Uí Maine](/source/U%C3%AD_Maine), specifically claiming descent from the [Síol Anmchadha](/source/S%C3%ADol_Anmchadha) branch,{{cite book|url=https://celt.ucc.ie/published/G105007.html|first=Unknown|last=Unknown|title=The Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many, commonly called O'Kelly's Country|publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts|year=2004|page=39}} were chiefs of the country lying around Sliabh Eisi, on the borders of [County Clare](/source/County_Clare) and [Galway](/source/Galway). They were formerly hereditary chief [Brehons](/source/Brehons) or judges of the principalities of Hy-Many and Hy-Fiachra Aidhne, in South [Connacht](/source/Connacht), and had their chief residence at a place called Ard-na-Cno, in the parish of Killiny, and barony of [Kiltartan](/source/Kiltartan), as we are informed in the [Book of Lecan](/source/Book_of_Lecan): "To the Aes Brengair belongs the stewardship of the arch-chief of Hy-Many, and it is the office of the Ui-Draighnen to distribute justice to the tribes."{{cite book|url=https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/download/IrishFamilyHistoryAHistoryoftheClannaRoryorRudriciansDescendantsofRodericktheGre_10667387.pdf|first=Richard|last=Cronnelly|title=Irish Family History Part II. Containing A History of the Lan Eoghan, Or Eoghanacts, Descendants of Eoghan More, or Eugene the Great|publisher=Goodwin, Son, and Nethercott|year=1864|page=88}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tMg_AAAAcAAJ|title=The Irish Archaeological Society, Volume 6|year=1843 |publisher=The Irish Archaeological Society|page=89}} ==Statistics== According to statistics cited by [Patrick Hanks](/source/Patrick_Hanks), 1,113 people on the island of [Great Britain](/source/Great_Britain) and 592 on the island of [Ireland](/source/Ireland) bore the surname Drennan in 2011. In 1881 there were 404 people with the surname in Great Britain, primarily at [Renfrewshire](/source/Renfrewshire), [Ayrshire](/source/Ayrshire), [Lanarkshire](/source/Lanarkshire), and [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire). In mid-19th-century Ireland, people with the surname Drennan were found mainly at [County Laois](/source/County_Laois) and [County Kilkenny](/source/County_Kilkenny). The [2010 United States census](/source/2010_United_States_census) found 4,233 people with the surname Drennan, making it the 7,821st-most-common name in the country. This represented an increase in absolute numbers, but a decrease in relative frequency, from 3,927 (7,811th-most-common) in the [2000 Census](/source/2000_United_States_census).{{cite web|url=https://projects.newsday.com/databases/long-island/census-last-names/?where=name^Drennan&offset=0|title=How common is your last name?|newspaper=Newsday|access-date=5 September 2018}} ==People with the surname== *[Alexander Drennan](/source/Alexander_Drennan) (1899–1971), New Zealand labourer, trade unionist, communist and watersider *[Alexander Murray Drennan](/source/Alexander_Murray_Drennan) (1884–1984), Scottish pathologist *[America McCutchen Drennan](/source/America_McCutchen_Drennan) (1830–1903), American educator and missionary *[Anthony Drennan](/source/Anthony_Drennan) (born 1958), Irish guitarist *[Bruce Drennan](/source/Bruce_Drennan) (born 1950), American sports announcer *[Bryce W. Drennan](/source/Bryce_W._Drennan) (born 1963), American writer *[Cathy Drennan](/source/Cathy_Drennan) ({{fl.|1995–present}}), American professor of chemistry and biology *[Charles Drennan](/source/Charles_Drennan) (born 1960), New Zealand Roman Catholic bishop *[David Drennan](/source/David_Drennan) (1944–2018), Northern Ireland, Lt. Col. Royal Irish Regiment *[David I Drennan](/source/David_I_Drennan) (born 1979), Northern Ireland Civil Servant *[David W. Drennan](/source/David_W._Drennan) (born 2003), Northern Ireland *[Ellie Drennan](/source/Ellie_Drennan) (born 1998), Australian singer-songwriter *[John Drennan](/source/John_Drennan), Irish journalist and writer *[John Drennan (cricketer)](/source/John_Drennan_(cricketer)) (born 1932), Australian cricketer *[John Cherry Drennan](/source/John_Cherry_Drennan) (1899–1983), Northern Ireland politician *[John Swanwick Drennan](/source/John_Swanwick_Drennan) (1809–1893), Irish poet *[Kathryn M. Drennan](/source/Kathryn_M._Drennan) ({{fl.|1977–present}}), American writer *[Keity Drennan](/source/Keity_Drennan) (born 1990), Panamanian model *[Lillie Elizabeth Drennan](/source/Lillie_Elizabeth_Drennan) (1897–1974), American truck driver *[Mandy Drennan](/source/Mandy_Drennan) (born 1988), Australian Paralympic swimmer *[Mark Drennan](/source/Mark_Drennan) (born 1972), American politician from West Virginia *[Martin Drennan](/source/Martin_Drennan) (1944–2022), Irish Roman Catholic bishop *[Michael Drennan](/source/Michael_Drennan) (born 1994) Irish professional footballer *[Natasha Newsome Drennan](/source/Natasha_Newsome_Drennan), Irish politician *[Peter Thomas Drennan](/source/Peter_Thomas_Drennan) (born 1957), Australian and United Nations security official *[Robert Drennan](/source/Robert_Drennan) ({{fl.|1975–present}}), American archaeologist *[Samuel Drennan](/source/Samuel_Drennan) (1819–1882), Irish-born merchant and politician in Ontario, Canada *[Thomas Drennan](/source/Thomas_Drennan) (1696–1768), Irish Presbyterian minister *[Thomas J. Drennan](/source/Thomas_J._Drennan) (1877–1928), New York City Fire Commissioner *[Tommy Drennan](/source/Tommy_Drennan) (1941–2024), Irish singer *[William Drennan](/source/William_Drennan) (1754–1820), Irish poet *[William Melville Drennan](/source/William_Melville_Drennan) (1853–1900), merchant and politician in Ontario, Canada == See also == * {{In title}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{surname|Drennan}} Category:Surnames of Irish origin --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Drennan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drennan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drennan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.