Brennan Family History

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Brennan Name Meaning

(predominantly southern) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Braonáin ‘descendant of Braonán’, a personal name from a diminutive of braon ‘moisture’, ‘drop’. Compare Breen. (predominantly northern) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Branáin ‘descendant of Branán’, a personal name meaning ‘little raven’ (see Brannigan).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Drennan, Greenan, Grennan, Bressan, Brenna, Grannan, Breihan, Brenton

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Brennan Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Brennan name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Brennan. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • Ireland & Scotland

    44%

  • England & Wales

    29%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    4%

  • France

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Brennan Family Origin

Where is the Brennan family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Brennan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brennan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brennan families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 21 Brennan families living in New York. This was about 60% of all the recorded Brennan's in the USA. New York had the highest population of Brennan families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brennan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Brennan

    Brennan Family Occupations

    What did your Brennan ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Brennan occupation in the USA was Laborer. 18% of Brennan's were Laborers. Laborer, Keeping House and Farmer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Brennan. A less common occupation for the Brennan family was Miner.

    View Census data for Brennan | Data not to scale

    • Laborer

      18%

    • Keeping House

      10%

    • Farmer

      8%

    • Miner

      3%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Brennan ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Brennan Historical Records

    What Brennan family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 378,000 census records available for the last name Brennan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brennan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Brennan

    Passenger List

    There are 82,000 immigration records available for the last name Brennan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Brennan immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 69,000 military records available for the last name Brennan. For the veterans among your Brennan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Brennan military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Brennan family history.

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    Brennan Life Expectancy

    What is the average Brennan lifespan?

    Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Brennan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Brennan in 1940 was 40, and 74 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Brennan

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Brennan ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Brennan Family Ancestors

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