Corcoran (surname)
Pronunciation | /ˈkɔːxrən/ KAWKH-rən |
---|---|
Language(s) | Irish Gaelic |
Origin | |
Meaning | Anglicisation of 'Ó Corcráin', which is taken from 'corcair' meaning "purple" |
Region of origin | Ireland |
Other names | |
Related names | Cochrane, Coughran, MacCorcoran |
Corcoran is an Irish surname. The original Gaelic version being Ó Corcráin meaning "descendant of Corcrán". The name itself is derived from corcair meaning "purple".[1]
History
The name Corcoran is an anglicisation of the names of two Gaelic clans. The first was the Ó Corcráin in Ulster. The second was the MacCorcráin clan from Leinster, which was a sept of Ó Corcráin.
Related variations of the name Corcoran historically include MacCorcoran, O'Corcoran, and Corcorran. The Corcorans were predominantly from Fermanagh and included a number of figures of historical importance such as the Bishop of Clogher in 1370 and Edmund O'Corcoran, "the hero of Limerick" (from the siege of 1691).[2]
Many Corcorans become members of the clergy between the tenth and fifteenth centuries, they became based around the vicinity of Lough Erne, County Fermanagh in Ulster. One member of the family, John Corcoran was appointed Bishop of Clogher in 1373.[3]
The O'Corcrain territory was invaded by the Normans in 1170 AD.
During the Plantation of Ulster and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649 AD, the Corcorans were scattered. Many settled on lands in Connaught, Munster and Leinster. Principally Offaly, Tipperary and Galway where the MacCorcorans had settled previously.
Modern
Today the surname is used throughout Ireland and throughout the Irish diaspora.[4]
Notable people with the surname Corcoran
- Ann Corcoran (born 1951), Australian politician
- Annette Corcoran (born 1930), American ceramist
- Barbara Corcoran (born 1949), real estate mogul, entrepreneur, and investor on ABC's "Shark Tank"
- Brian Ó Corcrán (died 1624?), poet
- Brian Corcoran (born 1973), former Irish sportsman
- Cahalan Ó Corcrán (died 1001), Abbot
- Captain Corcoran, Commander of H.M.S. Pinafore in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera
- Danny Corcoran (disambiguation), several people
Dave Corcoran, Wispa Static data legend
- Des Corcoran (1929–2004), Australian politician
- Edmund O'Corcoran (fl. 1691), Irish Confederation soldier
- Éamonn Corcoran (born 1978), former Irish sportsman
- Farrel Corcoran, author and academic
- Felimidh Ó Corcrán (died 1522), Canon lawyer
- Fláithrí Ó Corcrán (died 1496), singer and harpist
- Fred Corcoran (1905–1977), World Golf Hall of Famer
- Frank Corcoran (born 1944), Irish composer
- James Corcoran (1770–1804), Irish rebel
- Jim Corcoran (born 1949), Canadian musician
- Jimmy Corcoran (1819–1900), gangster
- John O Corcoran (died c. 1389), Bishop of Clogher
- John Corcoran, of The Bridge to Literacy: No Child—or Adult—Left Behind
- John Corcoran (logician) (born 1937), American philosopher and logician, University of Buffalo (SUNY)
- Kevin Corcoran (born 1949), American director, producer and former child actor
- Larry Corcoran (1859–1891), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
- Michael Corcoran (1827–1863), American general and close confidant of Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War
- Niall Corcoran, Irish sportsman
- Noreen Corcoran (born 1943), American actress
- Ray Corcoran, Australian rugby league footballer
- Thomas E. Corcoran (1838–1904), United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the Medal of Honor
- Thomas Gardiner Corcoran, a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's brain trust
- Timothy Corcoran (disambiguation), several people
- Tommy Corcoran (baseball) (1869–1960), American baseball player
- William Corcoran Eustis (1862–1921), wealthy inhabitant of Washington, D.C. and grandson of William Wilson Corcoran
- William Wilson Corcoran (1798–1888), American banker, philanthropist and art collector
Other
- Professor Corcoran, one of the mad scientists of Stanisław Lem
See also
References
- ^ "Corkery Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ Grenham, John: "Clans and Families of Ireland: The Heritage and Heraldry of Irish Clans and Families", Gill & Macmillan Ltd
- ^ http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/27699413?uid=3738232&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21102565605467
- ^ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Corcoran