What's in a Name?

What’s in a Name? 

Preface 

In 2022, I contacted a Professor of Irish Studies at a prominent Canadian University. This is what I wrote: 

Professor *****, 

My name is Daniel Heffernan, and I am hoping that you can briefly assist me concerning onomatology (is that the correct term? of my surname: Heffernan). 

Recently, I have been attempting to do some research on my Irish heritage and the history of my name.  For instance, according to Wikipedia, the name Heffernan is derived from the Irish name Ó hIfearnáin, which comes from the given name Ifearnan meaning "demon". Heffernan gives rise to alternatives such as Heffernon, Hiffernan, Heffernon and Hefferan. The name sometimes contains the O' prefix. 

It is my understanding that in Irish Gaelic the "O'" directly translates as "grandson of" and that Mc and Mac mean "son of"; however, they all really mean "descended from".  Also, that the "O'" itself is an Anglicization and the original spelling would be "Ua'".  

So ... 

Heffernan 

O’Heffernan 

O’hEifearnain 

O’hIfearnáin 

Ó hIfearnáin 

Ua hIfearnáin 

Uí Fearnáin 

Ifearnáin 

As a Professor of Irish Studies, I am hoping you can tell me if my research so far is correct and confirm it for me (or tell me it is wrong and correct it), as it is very important to me for personal reasons.   

Having said that, I realise this is a strange request; it is coming to you out of the blue, so to speak, and we don't know each other, and you have no obligation to read and respond to this email. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Daniel Heffernan 

*****

This is the response I received:

Daniel, a chara (Irish Gaelic for “my friend”), 

Thank you for your email. In short, the various versions of your surname that you've found are all correct, as is your explanation of O' and Mc/Mac. If you're interested in doing further research on the root and spread of the Ó hIfearnáin name, I recommend a new publication: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names of Ireland, edited by Muhr and Ó hAisibéil. 

Gach beannacht (Irish Gaelic for “all blessings”), 

. . . ***** 

***** 

My final reply and thanks: 

Professor *****, 

Thank you for responding.  It is most appreciated. 

A while back, my cousin, Albert Heffernan, researched my family's History in Canada (West Luther, Damascus, Arthur, ON) and printed a private publication/book for all of us called The Heffernan Generations.  In it, he says there are some things he is not sure about.  In any case, I have been looking more into the name itself, and his private publication has sparked my interest in Irish and Celtic History. 

Besides curiosity involving my family name and history, I wanted to be sure about specific points for two other reasons: 1) I was considering creating a Blog involving the use of my name; 2) I am in the process of having a monument being made for a plot at St. Johns Cemetery and have considered placing the original Gaelic spelling on the back of my tombstone ("How morbid!" - Lol) and certainly don't want to look like a fool with an error - hahaha! 

In any case, thank you again for your help.  After I send you this reply, I will definitely look up the new publication you referenced. 

Sincerely, 

Daniel Heffernan 

*****

A Timeline of Celtic History and the Emergence of the Heffernan Sept in Ireland 

2000 B.C. 

Celtic Occupation of Europe 

By this time, the Celts who originated in Scythia on the Russian steppes had swept across Europe, wielding their iron weapons.  By 1720 B.C., a Celtic tribe called the “Gaels”, named after their ancestor Gaedal, had settled in Spain (Iberia).  

1699 B.C. 

Milesians invaded Eire (Hibernia) from the Iberian Peninsula 

Milesius, King of Spain, sends his sons to invade Eire.  The people of Milesius are referred to as Milesians. 

1695 B.C. 

Race of Heber or the Heberian Era 

Heber, son of Milesius, rules Munster and is conjointly Monarch of Ireland (High King) with his brother Heremon. 

500 B.C. 

Clan conflicts 

Between 1699 B.C. and 800 A.D., the Irish remained effectively uninvaded by the outside world, though there was frequent clan fighting. 

200 A.D. 

Owen the Great – O’Heffernan ancestor 

Eoghan Mor or Owen the Great challenges the reigning High King of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles. 

Descendants of Owen the Great ruled Munster (Southern Ireland) for over a thousand years. 

250 A.D. 

Dal-g-Cais or Dalcassian Era 

Owen the Great had only one son, Olild Olum, who had 19 sons, with only 3 surviving: 1) Eogan Mor, 2) Cormac Cas, 3) Kian. 

Descendants of Cormac Cas or Dalcassians include O’Heffernan, O’Kennedy, O’Meara, O’Brien, MacArthur, MacNamara, O’Quinn, and many more. 

300 A.D.  

Ua’h-Ifearnain 

Descendants of Ifearnain are common near Muintirifernain, which is located near today’s town of Corofin, in central County Clare. 

1000 A.D. 

Limerick migration 

Sept members retaining the name of O’Heffernan migrated South and East into Co. Limerick. 

A branch of the Sept identified as O’Quinn remains dominant on the tribal grounds near Muintir Ifernan. 

1400’s 

O’Mulryan Emergence 

O’Mulryans appear and displace the O’Heffernan Clan from Owneybeg into South Tipperary. 

1654 

Cromwellian Dispossession 

Catholic landholders, O’Heffernan included, are dispossessed of their land and many died for the Catholic cause, went into exile or were transplanted to Connaught. 

The next 250 years were dark and oppressive for the Catholic O’Heffernans.  It was not until the passing of the Ashbourne Act in 1891 and the Wyndham Land Purchase Act in 1903 that the descendants of the dispossessed O’Heffernans again acquired the fee-simple of their lands. 

(Heffernan, John. The Travels of John Heffernan. 8/28/2002. 1-2, 4) 

Descendants of Owen the Great 

Descended from Cormac Cas 

The Dal-g-Cais or Dalcassians 

. 1 Eoghan Mor (Owen the Great) 

.. 2 Olild Olum 

… 3 Cormac Cas 

…. 4 AEneas Ceannattin 

….. 5 Conall 

…… 6 Colman 

……. 7 Geimhdealach 

…….. 8 Culen (Ulen) 

……… 9 Cathbharr (Abhartach) 

………. 10 Conor (Corc) 

……….. 11 Ifearnain 

(Heffernan, John. The Travels of John Heffernan. 8/28/2002. 3) 

The “Ernans” were Milesians of the Clanna … (Heffernan M.D., Patrick.  The Heffernans and Their Times.  James Clarke & Co., Ltd. 9/8/2003. 4-6) 

Origins 

The sept of Heffernan originally inhabited a territory near Corofin, Co. Clare, called Muintirifernain after them.  Very early, however, they established themselves in eastern Co. Limerick on the Tipperary border and were chiefs there of Owneybeg – where they constituted a sept of Uaithne-Cliach – whence they were in due course displaced by the O’Mulryans (Ryans) in the 14^th century and were dispersed throughout Munster (*raises a fist in the air and yells out, “Damn you Ryans!”* – hahaha).   

The principal families of the name did not migrate very far since Carew tells us that they were among the most important in the barony of Clanwilliam in 1600.  The rank and file remained undisturbed, and it is in Tipperary and Limerick Counties where they are most numerous today.   

The old manuscripts, such as the “Book of Rights”, describe the O’Heffernans as one of the “four tribes of Owney”, the others being MacKeogh, O’Loingsigh (Lynch) and O’Cahalan.   

One of the most distinguished members of the sept was Aeneas O’Heffernan, Bishop of Emly, 1543-1553 (The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Aeneas O' Heffernan, which was dated 1543, the Bishop of Emly, during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, known as "Bluff King Hal", 1509 - 1547). Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England, this was known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling - SurnameDB.com: The Internet Surname Database.   

The prefix O, discarded during the period of Gaelic submergence, has not been resumed in modern times except in very few cases.  Hiffernan is an alternative spelling of the name.  The most notable so-called was Dr Paul Hiffernan (1719-1777), the dramatist (MacLysaght, Edward.  Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins.  New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1972. 177-178). 

The modern surname can be found recorded as Heffernan, Hiffernan, Heffernon and Hefferan. Another notable bearer of the name was William Dall O'Heffernan (1715 - 1802), the Gaelic poet.  

The Heffernan Coat of Arms 

The coat of arms is a genuine one, in that it belonged to an ancestor of mine.  However, the tradition of the ancestral coat of arms is that each male descendant can have his own design.  Only the owner of the design is traditionally entitled to use his coat of arms.  Each coat is made up of symbols representing the achievements, home, and other information about the owner, about which he feels proud, and wishes to be generally known, such as his livelihood.  The generally published family crest is, then, a genetic one, which any family member can, and should, modify to suit (Heffernan, A. 10).  

The broken sword in gauntleted hand above the crest means: “Bravery in the field of battle, against overwhelming odds, but we would rather not fight”.  For me, it basically means that “if you start it, we will be forced to finish it!” 

Per fess vert and gules, on a fess or a lion passant guardant azure, in chief three crescents or.  Crest: A cubit arm erect in armour, the hand gauntleted and holding a broken sword proper (MacLysaght Plate XV)  

* The Lion stands for: “A King”. 

The three shields stand for: “Three successive Kings”. 

The crest is very unusual and includes a blue lion on a yellow background, where the lion, of course, the symbol of fierce courage, was thought to represent a great warrior or chieftain. The layout is known as the Fess, where the central band represents a military belt for honour. The 3 crescents could signify one who has been honoured by a sovereign. 

Meanings of Symbols and Colour on the Heffernan Coat of Arms – https://www.irishsurnames.com/cgi-bin/gallery.pl?name=heffernan&capname=Heffernan&letter=h: 

Azure/Blue: Represents Loyalty & Truth. 

Gules/Red: ‘The Martyr’s colour’, signifies Military Fortitude and Magnanimity. 

Or/Yellow/Gold: Represents Generosity. 

Vert/Green: Signifies Hope, Joy, and sometimes, Loyalty in Love. 

The Fess: Denotes a Military Belt or Girdle of Honour.   

Crescent/Increscent Moon: Signifies one who has been ‘Enlightened and Honoured by his Sovereign’. 

The Lion: Emblem of Deathless Courage. 

The variety of colours is interesting not only because they represent a combination of hope, generosity, and military strength. Further exploration of the name will no doubt explain this concentration of elements, which are no doubt merited! 

The family motto (Ceart Na Suad) is Irish Gaelic and means “The Right of the Scholar” in English.  This makes sense since we know that the Heffernans were Poets and Bards (custodians of Irish culture and literature) (Heffernan, A. 10) . . . and “not simply versifiers: they were genealogists and memorialists” (Killeen, Richard.  Ireland: Land, People, History.  Philadelphia: Running Press Book Publishers, 2012. 10). 

Gaelic Ireland was a stratified society where no fewer than twenty-seven classes of freemen existed.  At the summit were the local kings, attended by lawyers, druids and poets who together comprised the aristocracy.  The poets were not simply versifiers: they were genealogists and memorialists.  The body of laws and customary usages was all committed to memory, for there was no written literature.  It was a legal system of genuine sophistication.  There were specific sanctions for every crime, and no one – not even kings – was superior to the law.  Sagas and epics – many of them echoing mythological foundation tales common across Europe – were likewise transmitted orally from generation to generation.  It was a society with a strong narrative tradition, with a mythology and a sense of its own past (Killeen, R. 10). 

Our Past in Canada 

My ancestors left Ireland either because of religious persecution or the potato famine.  They were very fortunate to be among the ones selected to come to Canada.  The British government knew it had to do something with these people, and paying them to leave the country was one option.  They were given a fare on the ship and enough money to get started in the new world.  Think about the shock these people had when they left a populated city/rural area and suddenly found themselves in the bush.  They had to cut a road 66 feet wide across each end, clear some land, build a house and barn, and plant a crop and garden, all in the name of survival!  After the road was cut and 10 acres of land cleared, with a house and barn built, they were given a clear title to the farm.  My understanding is that they were given money or a note to buy seed and the essential livestock, such as a team of oxen (male and female), a team of horses, oats, wheat and potatoes. 

When these people were dropped off in the bush and told, “This is your property, make yourself a home”, it was months and sometimes years before they saw their relatives, who were dropped off at another location in the township.  The more I read about the hardships these early ancestors had, the more I began to appreciate what they did for us.  All because they wanted a better life, not only for themselves but for their families and future generations.  And this they did! (Heffernan, Albert.  The Heffernan Generations.  Self-published. 8). 

Where it all Began

John Heffernan was born in 1812 and came from Co. Kerry, Ireland, as a young lad.  He is the first of our known ancestors to settle in Ontario.  Some records show him arriving around 1825.  If so, he would have been 13 years old.  A little young to be travelling on his own.  So, there may be another generation here that we have not connected to yet.  Family lore has it that five brothers left Ireland, of whom one or two went to Australia.  One settled near Peterborough, Ontario, and presumably the other two came to the Guelph area (or one came to the Guelph area, and one went to New York State.  As later we find Heffernan's in Rochester, New York, and there seems to be an attraction to Rochester as John C Heffernan’s three daughters all went to live there). 

He grows up here in Nichol Township, Wellington County, marries an Irish girl – Mary McGinn (Co. Armagh) - and settles in to raise his family (Heffernan, A. The Heffernan Generations.  Self-published. 17). 

Descended from a Demon 

My name is Daniel Paul Heffernan.  Recently, I have been researching my Irish heritage and the history of my name (I believe onomatology is the correct term, but I could be wrong). In linguistics, onomastics is the study of proper names, especially the names of people (anthroponyms) and places (toponyms). A person who studies the origins, distributions, and variations of proper names is an onomastician.  

According to Wikipedia, the name Heffernan is derived from the Irish name Ó hIfearnáin, which comes from the given name Ifearnan, meaning “demon”.   

This ancient Irish name is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "O hIfearnain", the "O" prefix indicating "(male) descendant of", and the personal name "Ifearnan", a diminutive formation from the nickname "Ifreannach", demon, from "ifreann", hell. Traditionally, Irish family names are taken from the heads of tribes, or from some illustrious warrior, and are usually prefixed by "O", as above, or "Mac", denoting "son of". 

Heffernan gives rise to alternatives such as Heffernon and Hefferan.  The name sometimes contains the O’ prefix. 

It is my understanding that although in Irish Gaelic the “O” directly translates into English as “grandson of” and that Mc and Mac mean “son of”, they all really mean “descended from”.  Also, the “O’” itself is an Anglicization (as is the use of an apostrophe), and the original spelling would be “Ua“ or “Uí”.   

So … my name translates to “descended from a demon” or bluntly, “Spawn of Hell”! (Heffernan M.D., Patrick.  The Heffernan’s and Their Times.  James Clarke & Co., Ltd. 9/8/2003). 

Heffernan 

O’Heffernan 

O’hEifearnain 

O’hIfearnáin 

Ó hIfearnáin 

Ua hIfearnáin 

Uí Fearnáin 

Ifearnáin 

God is my Judge 

My given names are Daniel and Paul. Daniel is Hebrew for “Judged by God”, while Paul derives from the Roman family name Paulus or Paullus, from the Latin adjective meaning “small”, “humble”, “least” or “little.” Its prevalence in nations with a Christian heritage is primarily due to its attachment to Saint Paul the Apostle, whose Greek name was Παῦλος, Paûlos, a transliteration from the Latin, also carrying the "modest" meaning of this name.   

For this blog, my Irish name – using Gaelic variants - is to be Danial Pol Ó hIfearnáin.  

As a child, I was called Danny (never Daniel).  As a teenager, I didn’t like being called Daniel - preferring Dan - but now I use it professionally.  Also, I hated the song “Danny Boy”, as it was often used as a form of ridicule (but now I’ve not only learned to appreciate it, but love it, especially Sinéad O'Connor’s version from 1993 – look it up on YouTube). Only my family and closest friends still call me Danny.  As I said, I prefer Dan. 

M.J. 

My Mother tells me that I am the spitting image of my Paternal Grandfather – Michael Joseph Heffernan (often familiarly called “M.J.”), especially regarding his humour, outlook, and disposition.

At one tim,e M.J. (Michael Joseph) was the Sheriff and police constable for Wellington County in his area. The story is told of Mike (the Auctioneer) being called upon by the bank to sell off his neighbour’s livestock and machinery to pay the debt he owed.  My Grandad, a big man, banged his cane on the side of the wagon he was standing on and yelled at the crowd – “If any son-of-a-bitch bids more than $1.00 for any item, you’ll have to contend with me after the sale!” As a result, his neighbour bought all his livestock and machinery back for $1.00 each and continued to farm with his loan paid in full, and the bank was the loser.  M.J. was a big, rough, red-headed, hot-tempered Irishman, but deep down inside was also a big-hearted person (Heffernan, A. The Heffernan Generations.  Self-published. 264). 

M.J. lived alone after Grandma died.  On his last day in the house in town, he fell and broke his hip.  It took him a couple of hours to crawl to the phone and call for help.  He was taken to the hospital in Guelph, where he eventually died.  While the priest was giving him the last rites of the church, with most of the family present and Granddad slipping in and out of consciousness, the candle caught the curtain – that was pulled around the bed – on fire.  Granddad opened his eyes, saw the fire, and said, “Oh my God, I’ve gone to the wrong place!”  Humorous to the end!!! (Heffernan, A. The Heffernan Generations. Self-published. 264) 

My Great-Grandfather was Michael James Heffernan (1853-1931). Grandson Charles Heffernan says he remembers his Grandad’s funeral: “It packed St. Johns Church in Arthur, and the entourage with the horses stretched from the cemetery back to the turn off from Arthur onto the highway”.  (Heffernan, A. The Heffernan Generations.  Self-published. 71) 

So far . . .  

Are you with me so far?  Let’s do a recap: I’m a Canadian Irish Roman Catholic of Celtic origin, descended from a demon, and only GOD can judge me.  I fancy myself to be a scholar, bard and seanchaí.  I am semi-fluent in English, but an expert in Sarcasm (my 1^st language) and being “humble” (Lol).  Although I’m a Christian, I’m also an ordained Dudeist Priest in the Church of the Latter Day Dude (I think I forgot to mention that: I have an Official card and documentation).  I was born under the Greek astrological sign of Cancer, 2^nd decan to be more specific, which is Cancer-Scorpio – in the Chinese birth year of the Monkey.  My Great-Grandfather and Grandfather were well-respected in their community, having championed and fought for the unfortunate and dispossessed.  I am proudly working-class and blue-collar. Here’s my story … 

Let’s begin . . .