Index of Names in Irish Annals: Descriptive Bynames: Caomhánach
by Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien)
© 2000-2007 by Kathleen M. O'Brien. All rights reserved.
Version 2.1, updated 20 March 2007
Descriptive Bynames: Caomhánach
Meaning:
"[somehow connected, via fostering, etc., with the] Ó Caemhain [family]"
NOTE: This name began as a descriptive byname but became an inherited surname.
Spellings:
What we know as a set of Irish Annals are manuscripts that were each compiled during a
particular time period, usually using older material as sources. For example, when
the Annals of the Four Masters were written from 1632 to 1636, they covered events
that occurred centuries and millenia before (including legendary history). So, when
an entry in this set of annals refers to a person who lived in the year 738, the
spelling used for that person's name is very likely not using the spelling that
would have been used in 738.
Standard forms of this name (based on spelling systems of different periods) would be:
| Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) nominative form: | Caomhánach |
| Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) genitive form: | Caomhánaigh |
Frequency & Dates:
| Number of men found in the annals with this name: | 9/TD> |
| Found in Years: | 1369, 1414, 1416, 1417, 1419, 1422, 1431, 1476, 1519 |
Research Notes:
Woulfe (p. 234 s.n. Caom.ánac.) gives the meaning of this byname as
"belonging to Caom.án" and says, "This family derives its name and descent from
Domhnall Caomhanach, son of Diarmaid Mac Murchadha who was King of Leinster at the time of the
Anglo-Norman invation. He was so called from having been foster by the comharb, or successor of
St. Caom.án at Kilcavan, near Gorey; and the agnomen, contrary to the usual Irish practice,
has for many centuries been adoped as a surname by his descendants."
The explanation that he "was called Caemhanach, from having been fostered by the family of O'Caemhain" is given in regards to a man's name in 1421 (FM vol. 4, p. 849, footnote "z").
Sources:
Further information about the byname Caomhánach, may be found in:
- Woulfe (p. 234 s.n. Caom.ánac.)
- FM (vol. 4, p. 849, footnote "z")
The Sources page lists the Annals referenced below.
Information about secondary sources is included on that page as well.
Raw Data
In the table below, I have separated individuals with a blank line. That is, when there are multiple
entries in the annals that refer to a single person, those entries are grouped together.
Within the list of entries refering to a single person, I have sorted the entries
primarily by orthography when it is obvious that what I am seeing is the same entry
showing up in multiple annals. The entries that tend to use older spellings are listed first.
NOTE: The Annals referenced below under the code letters A, B, C, E, & F tend to use
later spellings than the other Annals. In some cases, the spellings listed in these Annals
may not be appropriate for the year referenced in the Annal entry.
In some Gaelic scripts, there is a character that looks approximately like a lowercase f,
but without the crossbar. This character (represented by an underscored , e, in
the entries below) sometimes represents e and sometimes ea depending upon the
context of the text.
| [Standardized form of this man's name] |
| Annals | Entry | Context | Citation (formatting preserved) |
| |
| [Donnchadh Caomhánach Mac Murchaidh] (d. 1369) |
| Co | 1369.3 | | Geralt Caemanach adbur ardrig Laigen |
| |
| [Donnchadh Caomhánach Mac Murchaidh] (d. 1375) |
| Co | 1375.8 | | Dondchad Caemanach Mac Murchada rig Laigen |
| |
| [Art Caomhánach mac Muircheartaigh Caománaigh mhic Mhuiris Chaománaigh] (d. 1414) |
| Co | 1414.2 | | Art Caemanach adbur rig Laigen |
| Co | 1416.28 | | Art Caemanach ri Laigen mac Airt Chaemanaig meic Murcertaig Caemanaig meic Muris Caemanaig |
| |
| [Muris Caomhánach] (d. ?) |
| Co | 1416.28 | | Art Caemanach ri Laigen mac Airt Chaemanaig meic Murcertaig Caemanaig meic Muris Caemanaig |
| |
| [Muircheartach Caomhánach mac Muiris Caománaigh] (d. ?) |
| Co | 1416.28 | | Art Caemanach ri Laigen mac Airt Chaemanaig meic Murcertaig Caemanaig meic Muris Caemanaig |
| |
| [Art Caomhánach mac Airt Caomhánaigh mhic Mhuircheartaigh Chaománaigh mhic Mhuiris Chaománaigh] (d. 1416) |
| Co | 1416.28 | | Art Caemanach ri Laigen mac Airt Chaemanaig meic Murcertaig Caemanaig meic Muris Caemanaig |
| Co | 1417.3 | | Diarmait Lamderg mac Airt Caemanaig .i. mac rig Laigen |
| |
| [Donnchadh Caomhánach] (d. ?) |
| Co | 1419.10 | | Dondchad Caemanach ri Laigen |
| FM | vol. 4, p. 848, 1421 | | mac donnchaid. c.aom.anaig. |
| |
| [Geralt Caomhánach] (d. 1431) |
| Co | 1422.12 | | Geraltt Caemanach |
| D | M1431.7 | | Gearalt Caomhanach rioghdamhna Laighen saoí einigh & engnamha eisidhe |
| Co | 1476.4 | | Domnall Riabach mac Gerailt Chaemanaig ri Laigen ["Domnall Riabach son of Geralt Caemanach [Mac Murchada], king of Leinster"] |
| |
| [Donnchadh Caomhánach] (d. 1519) |
| Co | 1519.8 | | Donnchad Cáomhanac |
Medieval Scotland | Medieval Names Archive | Index of Names in Irish Annals
Feminine Given Names | Feminine Descriptive Bynames | Masculine Given Names | Masculine Descriptive Bynames
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