Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • Irish : Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Manacháin ‘descendant of Manachán’, a personal name representing a diminutive of manach ‘monk’. See also Monk. The Gaelic name is sometimes interpreted as if it were Ó Muineacháin ‘descendant of the little shrubbery’, and is sometimes translated as Thornton. Compare the place name Monaghan.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe