McMenamin is an Irish surname. In Gaelic it is rendered, Mac Meanman, meaning 'son of Meanma' a name meaning courageous or high spirited. It originated in County Donegal in the 13th century. The first written mention of the name is in 1303 in the 'Annals of Loch Cé' which records the deaths of Donnchadh Mac Meanman and Aedh Mac Meanman, grandsons of the Lector O'Domnhaill, the chieftain of Fanad, during a dynastic struggle within the Cenél Conaill. The McMenamins are a branch of the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell (Donegal) and are part of the Sil Lugdach, descendants of Lugaid mac Sétnai, the great-grandson of Conall Gulban. Like many discarded branches of noble families, the McMenamins sought advancement in the church evidenced by numerous mentions of McMenamin prelates in papal letters from the late 1300s to the late 1400s. They were supplanted in their home territory of Fanad by the Sweeneys and over the centuries became more distantly related to the royal line of the Cenél Conaill. One scholar describes the family as "...a discarded branch of the O'Donnell dynasty" (Darren Mc Eiteagain . 1995 "Donegal History and Society: Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County". Geography Publications: UCD)
The name appears again in the fiants of Elizabeth I in 1601, this is a list of royal pardons. A pardon was granted to Neyce bane M'Manaman (sic), it's unclear what offence had been committed. In 1609 according to MacLysaght the McMenamins are named as followers of O'Donnell in the pardon rolls of James I. During the Cromwellian campaigns in Ireland many McMenamins dispersed to Mayo, particularly around Tonragee, Ballycroy and Achill, this area had ancient links with the O'Donnells. This Mayo migration resulted in variant spellings of the name such as McManamon and McManaman.
By the 19th Century the McMenamins like many of the Irish had spread throughout the world but still remained strong in their native northwest Ulster. Griffith's "Primary Valuation of Ireland" carried out 1847-1864 records 266 McMenamin households not counting the variant spellings, 90% of these households were in Donegal and west Tyrone. An Gorta Mór (The Irish Famine) affected Ulster to a lesser extent than the rest of Ireland, but we still find 100 McMenamins disembarking at the port of New York from 1845-52. Even by 1890 the McMenamins still clung to their ancestral homelands, 36 McMenamin births were registered in Ireland this year but only 2 outside Ulster according to Matheson.
The name has given rise to many variants some of which are : McMeanmain, McMenamy, McMenemey, McMeneny, McManamon, McMenamon, McManaman, McMinn
Notable people with the surname include:
Brian McMenamin (born 1957), American businessman and philanthropist
Chris McMenamin (born 1989), Scottish footballer
Ciarán McMenamin (born 1975), Irish actor
Colin McMenamin (born 1981), Scottish footballer
Daniel McMenamin (1882–?), Irish politician and barrister
Eugene McMenamin (born 1947), Irish politician
James McMenamin (1910–2000), Australian cricket umpire
Joseph J. McMenamin, United States Marine Corps general
Kevin McMenamin, Irish Gaelic football player
Mark McMenamin, American paleontologist
Paul McMenamin (born 1956), Australian academic
Ryan McMenamin, Canadian-born Irish Gaelic footballer
Association, McMenamins is one of the top 50 largest craft breweries in the United States. McMenamins was founded by brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin, who grew...
branches of noble families, the McMenamins sought advancement in the church evidenced by numerous mentions of McMenamin prelates in papal letters from...
Conor McMenamin (born 24 August 1995) is a professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership club St Mirren and the Northern Ireland national...
McMenamin, Dave (February 27, 2023). "LeBron James to monitor right foot after injury against Mavs". espn.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023. McMenamin, Dave...
Mark A. S. McMenamin (born c. 1957) is an American paleontologist and professor of geology at Mount Holyoke College. He has contributed to the study of...
start McMenamins Pub in Hillsdale, in 1980 with financial assistance from their father. That pub is not part of the current company. Mike McMenamin purchased...
2013. McMenamin, Dave (January 26, 2013). "Lakers found formula, can they repeat it?". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. McMenamin, Dave...
Colin McMenamin (born 12 February 1981) is a Scottish former professional football player, and is the current assistant manager of Annan Athletic. McMenamin...
explaining the legendary kraken. Paleontologist Mark McMenamin and his spouse Dianna Schulte McMenamin claimed that an ancient, giant cephalopod resembling...
7, 2013. McMenamin, Dave (January 18, 2013). "Pau Gasol may come off bench". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. McMenamin, Dave (January...
supercontinent, which they named "Pangaea I." It was renamed "Rodinia" by McMenamin & McMenamin 1990 who also were the first to produce a reconstruction and propose...
Murdoch McCoist, MBE (/məˈkɔɪst/; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish former footballer who has since worked as a manager and TV pundit. McCoist began...
characteristic features we use in modern classification. In 1998 Mark McMenamin claimed Ediacarans did not possess an embryonic stage, and thus could...
John Philip Cohane, Ross T. Christensen, Barry Fell and Mark McMenamin. In 1996, McMenamin proposed that Phoenician sailors discovered the New World c...
Chris McMenamin (born 2 January 1989 in Glasgow) is a Scottish footballer. After spending much of last season on loan with Berwick while an Airdrie United...
Kevin McMenamin is an Irish Gaelic footballer. He has played at senior level for Donegal and London county teams, as well as club football for Termon...
James Hugh McMenaminMC (26 May 1910 – 13 August 2000) was a cricket umpire who officiated at Test level. McMenamin was born in Paddington, New South Wales...
Joe McMenamin (15 October 1912 – 27 November 1991) was an Irish sailor. He competed in the Dragon event at the 1972 Summer Olympics. "Joe McMenamin". Olympedia...
as Jazz prevail McMenamin, Dave (April 13, 2011). "Andrew Bynum hyperextends right knee". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023. McMenamin, Dave (April 14...
after two seasons, per reports". usatoday.com. Retrieved May 3, 2024. McMenamin, Dave. "Lakers fire coach Darvin Ham after 2 seasons, sources tell ESPN"...
Title Role Notes 2020 Devs Lyndon Miniseries 2021 Mare of Easttown Erin McMenamin Miniseries 2022 The First Lady Anna Roosevelt Halsted Recurring role...
Daniel McMenamin (1 March 1882 – 13 February 1964) was an Irish politician. A barrister by profession, McMenamin first stood for election at the 1918...
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