GENIRE-L Archives

From: Pat Traynor <>
Subject: Re: KANE/Cathain Surname translation
Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 18:41:14 -0700

Quoting....."David Kane" <>
>Hello.
>I wonder if anyone can help with a translation? I have been looking up the
>name KANE and it comes from the name O'Cathain I have found that O' means
>son of, and Cath means battle. Could someone tell me what the 'ain' at the
>end means?
>Thank You

=========================
The O'Cathain name was derived from Cathan (cath, "a battle", an, "one who").
Cathan's ggrandfather was Connor, the 156th Monarch of Ireland.
------------
-----------
In the O'CAHAN of Londonderry, pedigree #1 of three, O'CATHAIN was
anglicized as O'Cahaine, O'Cahane, O'Cahan, O'Cane, O'Kane, O'Keane,
O'Caen, O'Chane, Cahan, Caine, Cane, Gahan, Gethan, Kane, Kean,
Keane, Keen, and Kyan.
--------
KANE
Kane and O'Kane are the most common anglicised versions of the Irish O'
Cathain, from a diminutive of cath, meaning 'battle'. Kane and O'Kane are
most frequent in Ulster, where O'Cathain arose as a surname in the Laggan
district of east Donegal, as part of the Cineal Eoghain, the large group of
families descended from Eoghan, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, the
fifth-century monarch who founded the Ui Neill dynasty and was supposedly
responsible for the kidnapping of St. Patrick to Ireland. In the twelfth
century these Ulster O'Cathains conquered a large territory to the east of
their original homeland around Coleraine and Keenaght in what is now Co.
Derry, and remained powerful and important in that area down to the wars of
the seventeenth century. Their last chief died in the Tower of London in
1628. Two other common surnames, McCloskey and McA?inney (sic),
are offshoots of O'Cathain, stemming respectively from the
twelfth-century Bloskey O'
Cathain, and Aibhne O'Cathain. Kane remains particularly common in the
Coleraine district of Co. Derry, and the adjoining county of Antrim.

KEANE
Like Kane, Keane is an anglicisation of O Cathain, from a diminutive of
cath, meaning 'battle'. As an anglicisation, however, it is much more
common in Connacht than in Ulster, the homeland of Kanes. This is because O
Cathain arose separately as a surname in Co. Galway, where the family were
a branch of the historic Ui Fiachra tribal grouping. Traditionally it has
been believed that the prominent Clare Keanes were an offshoot of the
Ulster O Cathain, but the closeness of Clare and Galway must make this
doubtful. A distinct family, the O Cein from Co. Waterford have anglicised
their name as 'Kean', but without the final 'e'. The famous actors Edmund
Kean (1787-1833) and his son Charles (1811-1880) were of this family.

Patrick Traynor, in California's gold-rush country.

This thread:

• KANE/Cathain Surname translation by "David Kane" <>

  • Re: KANE/Cathain Surname translation by Pat Traynor <>