McCann Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McCann last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McCann last name
Meaning of the McCann last name: son of Cana ("wolf cub"). McCann comes from the Gaelic Mac Cana, "son of Cana", a personal name meaning "wolf cub", a word early Irish poets used for a young warrior. The family were lords of land on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, and the name is still most numerous in Armagh, Tyrone and Down. A curious detail: McCann is now just as familiar in Glasgow, Philadelphia and New York.
Arms associated with the McCann name
Old Irish families often chose animals such as the boar, the stag or the wolf, creatures admired for strength, a habit seen in arms tied to the McCann name.
Get your full McCann family history
This is only a glimpse of the McCann story. The full McCann 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 McCann coat of arms. Get the full McCann report.
McCann name FAQ
What does the McCann name mean?
Son of Cana ("wolf cub"). Common variants include MacCann, McCan, Canny.
Where does the McCann surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and England.
Is there a McCann coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McCann coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.