Hanlon Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Hanlon last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Hanlon last name
Meaning of the Hanlon last name: descendant of Anluan ("great champion"). Hanlon comes from the Gaelic Ó hAnluain, from a personal name meaning "great champion". The O'Hanlons were lords in County Armagh and carried the banner for the powerful O'Neills. The name is most common in Armagh, Down and Louth, and in Dublin and Belfast. A curious detail: after the family lost its lands, one Redmond O'Hanlon became a famous outlaw, a kind of Irish Robin Hood.
Arms associated with the Hanlon name
A curious Irish detail: many Gaelic families adopted arms only after Norman contact, blending old symbols with new heraldic rules, as Hanlon families did.
Get your full Hanlon family history
This is only a glimpse of the Hanlon story. The full Hanlon 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 Hanlon coat of arms. Get the full Hanlon report.
Hanlon name FAQ
What does the Hanlon name mean?
Descendant of Anluan ("great champion"). Common variants include O'Hanlon, Handlon, Hanlan.
Where does the Hanlon surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, England and Australia.
Is there a Hanlon coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Hanlon 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.