Gaelic sept

Crean

Ó Carráin

Also: Creane, Crane

“descendant of Carrán — from carra, a spear”

🏔 Kerry · Ciarraí 🏔 Cork · Corcaigh 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

Woulfe's entry is short: Ó Carráin, a variant of Ó Corráin, from carrán, a spear, gives Crean and Crane. He names no territory; the counties shown are approximate. Tom Crean, the Antarctic explorer from Annascaul in Kerry, is the name's best-known bearer, though Wikipedia gives his Irish name as Tomás Ó Cuirín, not Ó Carráin: Crean covers more than one Irish name.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Ó Carráin
Ó — descendant of (originally grandson of)
Carráin — 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 Crean an Irish name?

Crean 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 →

People of the name

Thomas Crean ↗ (1877–1938) · born in County Kerry

From the people listed on the county pages; sharing a surname does not mean sharing descent.

Where the Crean country is

County Kerry County Cork Cork Tralee Killarney Cobh Midleton Mallow Bandon Fermoy 14 castles in Kerry 37 castles in Cork

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Buckley · Cork, Kerry Cronin · Cork, Kerry Culloty · Kerry, Cork Curtin · Cork, Kerry Díaz · Cork, Kerry Dowling · Cork, Kerry Downey · Cork, Kerry Foley · Kerry, Cork Galvin · Kerry, Cork Harnett · Kerry, Cork Horgan · Cork, Kerry Kelleher · Cork, Kerry Leahy · Cork, Kerry Linehan · Cork, Kerry

Quick answers

Is Crean an Irish name?

Crean is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here. In Irish the name is Ó Carráin.

What does the surname Crean mean?

Crean (Irish: Ó Carráin) means “descendant of Carrán — from carra, a spear”. Origin: Gaelic sept.

Where in Ireland is the surname Crean from?

The historic homeland of the Crean name is Kerry, Cork. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Crean?

Ó Carráin. Related spellings: Creane, Crane.

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

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