Cavanaugh
| Cavanagh / Cavanaugh | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
| Pronunciation | Kav-na or Ka-va-na |
| Meaning | A variation of the Irish Gaelic surname Caomhánach. |
| Motto | Peace and Plenty |
| Related names | Caomhánach, Kavanagh, Kavanaugh, and more. |
| Clan affiliations | Caomhánach |
Cavanagh or Cavanaugh is a surname of Irish origin, a variation of the Irish Gaelic family surname Caomhánach.
Cavanagh and Cavanaugh are anglicised variations of the Irish Gaelic surname Caomhánach (Caoṁánaċ in traditional Gaelic type). The surname was first assumed by Domhnall, eldest son of the 12th century King of Leinster, Diarmait Mac Murchada in Ireland.
A considerable number of anglicised variations of Caomhánach exist, with some of the most common being: "Kavanagh", "Cavanagh", "Kavanaugh" and "Cavanaugh".
It is referred to in a translation of the historical Annals of the Four Masters by John O'Donovan, noting that Domhnall Caomhánach was fostered for his training and education at the monastery of St. Caomhan at Kilcavan in the Barony of Gorey, County Wexford. He was a son of Diarmuid Mac Murchadha, King of Leinster. According to Irish custom, because of this monastery education, Domhnall assumed the name Caomhánach as a descriptive byname, meaning 'a student or follower of St. Caomhan'. Contrary to usual Irish practice, the name was adopted by his descendants as an inherited surname. In 19th-century Gaelic dictionaries, Caomhánach is also defined as "a friend, companion" and "merciful".
Numerous spelling variations have been seen as the name was anglicised: Kavanagh, Cavanagh, Cavanaugh, etc. Although Donal (Domnhall) was the first bearer of the name, the majority of the septs that proliferated from the fifteenth century on descend from Art Mór Mac Murchadha Caomhánach, King of Leinster (1375–1416), who died in 1416. The territory of the Cavanaghs at this period was huge, comprising nearly all of the modern County Carlow, and most of north and north-west County Wexford. This was known as "the Cavanagh's country" and with good reason: Art held complete control over it, reigning for forty-two years. He received dues from the English crown, the "black rent" as it was known. The chiefs of the family continued to take the ruling title Mac Murchadha, but by the mid-sixteenth century their power was on the wane, and was decisively broken by the start of the seventeenth century.
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