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The Irish surname Grannan is an anglicized version of the
Gaelic name Mac Ragnaill. It is of patronymic origin, being one of those
surnames based on the first name of the father. In this case, it simply
means "son of Reginald", Reginald or Ragnall being popular personal names
within Ireland. As a result of these origins, this name is also rendered as
Mac Rannall, Reynolds and Grannell.
The sept of this name came from county
Leitrim. they remained influential up to the end of the seventeenth century,
in spite of continual rivalry and feuds with their neighbors. Evan
today, county Leitrim is the principal stronghold of this name, nearly half
of the people so called hailing from this area.
There have been many notable bearers of the name Reynolds - the most
usual form of Grannan. These include amongst their number, Osborne
Reynolds (1842-1912) who was famous for his investigations on mechanical
subjects, and James Reynolds (1842-1920) discoverer of various chemical
substances.
Mac Grannan, Mag Raghnainn, a Mayo name cognate with MacRannall or
Reynolds
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