Gaelic sept

Coleman

Ó Colmáin / Ó Clumháin

Also: Colman, O'Clumhain

“descendant of Colmán, 'little dove' — from Latin columba”

🏔 Sligo · Sligeach 🏔 Cork · Corcaigh 🏔 Tipperary · Tiobraid Árann Source: Wikipedia ↗ Source: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923) ↗

The sept's historic heartland, highlighted. People moved — a name can be found far from home.

The story

A family of the Uí Fiachrach seated at Grangemore in the parish of Templeboy, County Sligo. By the sixteenth century the name was commonest in Cork, Tipperary and Waterford. It is also a common English occupational surname, so not every Coleman is Irish — but a great many are.

Their world Around 1400 — The Gaelic Resurgence. Plague, absentee landlords and Gaelic recovery shrink English Ireland to a fortified strip around Dublin.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Ó Colmáin
Ó — descendant of (originally grandson of)
Colmáin — the ancestor, trade or place the name is built on
Ó Clumháin
Ó — descendant of (originally grandson of)
Clumháin — the ancestor, trade or place the name is built on

Find this form in the Irish-to-English index → · What Ó and Mac actually mean

Is Coleman an Irish name?

Coleman is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here.

The five answers, and why it is rarely yes or no →

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Carew · Cork, Tipperary Condon · Cork, Tipperary Donegan · Cork, Tipperary Hayes · Cork, Tipperary Healy · Sligo, Cork Scanlon · Cork, Sligo Ahern · Cork Barrett · Cork Barry · Cork Brennan · Sligo Buckley · Cork Butler · Tipperary Cagney · Cork Cahill · Tipperary

Quick answers

Is Coleman an Irish name?

Coleman is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here. In Irish the name is Ó Colmáin / Ó Clumháin.

What does the surname Coleman mean?

Coleman (Irish: Ó Colmáin / Ó Clumháin) means “descendant of Colmán, 'little dove' — from Latin columba”. Origin: Gaelic sept.

Where in Ireland is the surname Coleman from?

The historic homeland of the Coleman name is Sligo, Cork, Tipperary. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Coleman?

Ó Colmáin / Ó Clumháin. Related spellings: Colman, O'Clumhain.

Looking for the Coleman family crest? Read this first — arms belong to people, not surnames, and the honest version is more interesting. Tracing Coleman ancestors? The step-by-step guide.

Not your spelling? Try the full A–Z. Know more about the Coleman name? Add to the story.