Frequency: (19969)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Irish: 1. (predominantly southern) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Braonáin ‘descendant of Braonán’, a personal name from a diminutive of braon ‘moisture’, ‘drop’. Compare Breen. 2. (predominantly northern) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Branáin ‘descendant of Branán’, a personal name meaning ‘little raven’ (see Brannigan).
GIVEN NAMES: Irish 5%. Brendan (6), Ciaran (6), Kieran (6), Liam (4), Dermot (3), Eamon (3), Seamus (3), Siobhan (3), Brigid (2), Colm (2), Eamonn (2), Niall (2).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
