Surname Schreenan - Meaning and Origin
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Schreenan: What does the surname Schreenan mean?
The last name Schreenan is of Irish origin and is found mainly in areas of Ireland such as County Galway and County Mayo. The surname Schreenan is derived from the Gaelic term, "O Scrínín", which translates to "descendant of the little shrub". This surname is believed to be an Anglicized form of the surname O Scríonáin, which is derived from scríonán, meaning “a little shrub”.
The Schreenan family is believed to have descended from the Gaelic Irish clann O' Scrínín which was seated in the Connacht province of western Ireland in modern day County Galway. The family were erenaghs, which was a title given to those in charge of ecclesiastical lands in ancient Ireland. The Schreenans were considered to be very different to many of the other Gaelic Irish families and they had a reputation of being unconquerable.
The first records of the Schreenan family in County Galway trace back to the early 17th century when Dominick Schreenan founded the first castle in which the family held their domain. For centuries, the Schreenan family had a strong presence in the area and the name continues to be seen across Ireland today.
The Schreenan family name is one of pride that reminds its descendants of the past and of the resilience that allowed them to remain unyielding in the face of adversity.
Order DNA origin analysisSchreenan: Where does the name Schreenan come from?
The last name Schreenan is mostly found in Scotland today. Before the spread of surnames in the British Isles, it was sometimes spelled in various forms such as Shalaign, Shaplane, or Change. Early records of this surname come from the 15th century, with the first recorded spelling being of Nicholas Shalaign, who was a witness in Edinburgh 1474.
This surname is most commonly found in and around the city of Edinburgh. However, due to the significant amount of emigration from Scotland in centuries past, the name is now found in locations all around the world. In the United States, it is quite common to find individuals with this surname among the states from the former Thirteen Colonies; this is likely due to the strong historical connection between Scotland and what is now the United States of America.
Interestingly, the surname is also very common in large cities in India. Part of this is likely due to British rule in India, as well as increased economic opportunities in Indian cities that have traditionally attracted people from other parts of the world.
Overall, the name Schreenan is still quite common in Scotland, but is also found in various other countries, especially in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and India. Despite the commonality of the surname, there is still a great deal of diversity among Schreenan families, from where their ancestors is originally from to the way they choose to spell their name.
Variations of the surname Schreenan
Schreenan is a surname of Irish origin, derived from the Irish Gaelic O’Scríobháin. This surname was one of several families originating from the Uí Fiachrach kingdom located in western Connacht. Variations of Schreenan include Shreenan, Screechman, Screehan, Scriven and O’Screehan.
The spelling variants of Schreenan are primarily due to 19th century anglicization of the Irish language. Anglicization is the process by which the spelling of words is adapted to reflect the pronunciation and spelling conventions of spoken English. In the case of surnames, the anglicization of traditional Irish surnames resulted in numerous spelling variants for the same name.
The spelling variant Shreenan is sometimes found as Shreeman, Shriman, Shrynan, or Shryman. Meanwhile, the “man” is oftentimes dropped off the end of Screechman, leaving just Screech.
In some instances, the O’ prefix of O’Screehan is dropped in favor of variants such as Screehan, Scriven, and Shriven.
The phonetic evolution of the Schreenan surname has seen the O’ prefix lose its emphasis, resulting in simpler spelling variants such as Screen, Scene, and Sheen. For instance, descendants of the 19th century Anglicized spelling variant Screenman, changed it to Screen and used it as their primary surname.
Overall, Schreenan is one example of many Irish surnames which experienced a phonetic evolution via Anglicization, resulting in numerous spelling variants and resulting surnames. It is likely that more spelling variants of this surname have also arisen due to other natural developments or foreign language adaptions.
Famous people with the name Schreenan
- Ryan Schreeman: Co-founder of Marked Media, a full-service online marketing agency
- Joe Schreeman: Designer at Kodak
- Annelise Schreeman: Actor, producer, writer, and co-founder of the L.A.-based storytelling company, The Pink Couch
- Jörg Schreeman: faculty at the University of Ulm in staging and computer music
- Paul Schreeman: American football coach
- Peter Schreeman: Professor of horticulture of Wageningen University
- Chris Schreeman: guitarist for the alternative rock band Ligeia
- Dr. Michael Schreeman: former professor of early American literature and composition at the University of Central Missouri
- Paul Schreeman: Artist, educator, andBuzzfeed contributor
- Robert Schreeman: former Dutch top-level footballer
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Comments or additions to the name "Schreenan"
15.03.2024
Shreenan. Lots in Glasgow dumbarton derby Ireland and usa