Monahan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Monahan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Monahan last name
Meaning of the Monahan last name: monk. Monahan is an Irish surname from Ó Manacháin, "descendant of Manachán", from manach, "monk". The family were lords in Roscommon on the Shannon. The last name is distinct from the place name of County Monaghan, though the spellings often overlap.
Arms associated with the Monahan name
Coats of arms associated with the Monahan surname follow Irish heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Monahan family history
This is only a glimpse of the Monahan story. The full Monahan history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Monahan coat of arms. Get the full Monahan report.
Monahan name FAQ
What does the Monahan name mean?
Monk. Common variants include Monaghan, Monaghan.
Where does the Monahan surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, England and Australia.
Is there a Monahan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Monahan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923).