Corcoran (surname)

2025-10-03T12:58:20Z

2A02:6B6F:EA28:1200:310B:BC6D:BD75:460E: /* Notable people */Added a notable

{{Other uses|Corcoran (disambiguation){{!}}Corcoran}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox surname
| name = Corcoran<br>Ó Corcráin<br>MacCorcráin
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| pronunciation = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɔːr|k|ər|ən}} {{respell|KOR|kər|ən}}
| meaning = [[Anglicisation]] of {{lang|ga|Ó Corcráin}} or MacCorcorán, which is taken from {{lang|ga|corcair}} meaning 'purple' or 'ruddy'
| region = Ireland
| language = Irish
| variant = [[Cochrane (surname)|Cochrane]], Coughran, MacCorcoran, Corcorran
| prefix =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Corcoran''' is an Irish surname, the original [[Irish language]] form being {{lang|ga|Ó Corcráin}} meaning 'descendant of Corcrán' and MacCorcráin from [[Leinster]] meaning son of Corcrán. The name itself is derived from {{lang|ga|corcair}} meaning 'purple',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Corkery-family-history.ashx|title=Corkery Name Meaning and History|access-date=27 May 2009|work=Ancestry.com}}</ref> formerly meaning 'ruddy',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Corcoran|title=Surname Database: Corcoran Last Name Origin|website=The Internet Surname Database|accessdate=26 March 2023}}</ref> or 'flushed face'.

== History ==
The name Corcoran is an anglicisation of the names of two Gaelic clans. The first was the Ó Corcráin in [[Ulster]]. The second was the MacCorcráin clan from [[Leinster]], which was a sept of Ó Corcráin.

Related variations of the name Corcoran historically include ''MacCorcoran'', ''O'Corcoran'', and ''Corcorran''. The Corcorans were predominantly from [[Fermanagh]] and included a number of figures of historical importance such as the [[Bishop of Clogher]] in 1370 and Edmund O'Corcoran, "the hero of [[Limerick]]" (from the [[Siege of Limerick (1691)|siege of 1691]]).<ref>Grenham, John: "Clans and Families of Ireland: The Heritage and Heraldry of Irish Clans and Families", Gill & Macmillan Ltd</ref>

Many Corcorans become members of the clergy between the tenth and fifteenth centuries; they became based around the vicinity of [[Lough Erne]], [[County Fermanagh]], in [[Ulster]]. One member of the family, John Corcoran, was appointed Bishop of Clogher in 1373.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=27699413|title=Bishop John O'Corcoran of Clogher (1373–1389) at the University of Prague, the Purgatorium Sancti Patricii and the Debate about Purgatory in the Later Middle Ages|first=Katherine|last=Walsh|date=1 January 1997|journal=Clogher Record|volume=16|issue=1|pages=7–36|doi=10.2307/27699413}}</ref>

The O'Corcrain territory was invaded by the Normans in 1170 AD.

During the [[Plantation of Ulster]] and the [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland]] in 1649 AD, the Corcorans were scattered. Many settled on lands in [[Connaught]], [[Munster]], and [[Leinster]]. Principally Offaly, Tipperary, and Galway where the MacCorcorans had settled previously.

== Modern ==
Today the surname is used throughout Ireland and throughout the [[Irish diaspora]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Corcoran|title=Surname Database: Corcoran Last Name Origin|website=The Internet Surname Database|accessdate=26 March 2023}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
Notable people with the surname Corcoran include:
* [[Angela Corcoran ]] (born 1967), Australian diplomat
*[[Ann Corcoran (politician)]] (born 1951), Australian politician
* [[Ann Corcoran (activist)]], American blogger and activist
* [[Annette Corcoran]] (born 1930), American ceramist
* [[Barbara Corcoran]] (born 1949), real estate mogul, entrepreneur, and investor on ABC's ''Shark Tank''
* [[Brian Corcoran]] (born 1973), former Irish sportsman
* [[Danny Corcoran (disambiguation)]], several people
* [[Des Corcoran]] (1929–2004), Australian politician
* [[Donna Corcoran]] (born 1942), American former child actress
* [[Éamonn Corcoran]] (born 1978), former Irish sportsman
* [[Evan Corcoran]] (born 1964), American lawyer
* [[Farrel Corcoran]], author and academic
* [[Frank Corcoran]] (born 1944), Irish composer
* [[Fred Corcoran]] (1905–1977), World Golf Hall of Famer
* [[Imelda Corcoran]], Australian actress
* [[James Corcoran (disambiguation)]], several people
* [[Jerry Corcoran]] (1893–1981), American football player and executive
* [[Jim Corcoran]] (born 1949), Canadian musician
* [[Jimmy Corcoran]] (1819–1900), gangster
* [[John Corcoran (disambiguation)]], several people
* [[Joseph Corcoran]] (1975–2024), American executed mass murderer
* [[Josephine Mackie Corcoran]] (1894–1967), American politician from Maryland
* [[Kevin Corcoran]] (1949–2015), American director, producer, and former child actor
* [[Larry Corcoran]] (1859–1891), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
* [[Michael Corcoran]] (1827–1863), American general and close confidant of Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War
* [[Niall Corcoran]], Irish sportsman
* [[Noreen Corcoran]] (1943–2016), American actress
* [[Ray Corcoran]], Australian rugby league footballer
* [[Thomas Corcoran (disambiguation)|Thomas Corcoran]], several people
* [[Timothy Corcoran (disambiguation)]], several people
* [[William Corcoran Eustis]] (1862–1921), wealthy inhabitant of Washington, D.C., and grandson of William Wilson Corcoran
* [[William Wilson Corcoran]] (1798–1888), American banker, philanthropist, and art collector

Notable people with the variant surname Ó Corcrán include:
* [[Brian Ó Corcrán]] (died 1624?), poet
* [[Cahalan Ó Corcrán]] (died 1001), Abbot
* [[Felimidh Ó Corcrán]] (died 1522), Canon lawyer
* [[Fláithrí Ó Corcrán]] (died 1496), singer and harpist
* Johannes O Corcoran [[Order of Saint Benedict|OSB]] (died c. 1389), [[Bishop of Clogher]]

== See also ==
* [[Cochrane (surname)]]
* [[Corkran]] (surname)

== References ==

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{{surname}}

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[[Category:Anglicised Irish-language surnames]]

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Corcoran (surname)