Heffernan is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó hIfearnáin, which comes from the byname Ifearnán literally meaning 'little demon' or more metaphorically 'daredevil'. Heffernan gives rise to alternatives such as Heffernon and Hefferan. The name sometimes contains the O' prefix. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Heffermans were the chiefly family of the Uaithni who were a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC.[1]
List of people surnamed Heffernan
edit- Angie Heffernan, Fijian activist
- Bill Heffernan (born 1943), Australian senator
- Bob Heffernan, Australian footballer
- Chris Heffernan, Australian footballer
- Christian Heffernan, Canadian football player
- Christy Heffernan, Irish sportsman
- Daniel Heffernan, English footballer
- Dean Heffernan, Australian soccer player
- Frank Heffernan (1892–1938), Canadian hockey player
- Gavin Heffernan, Canadian filmmaker
- Gerald Heffernan, Canadian ice hockey player
- James Heffernan (Irish politician), Irish politician
- James J. Heffernan (1888–1967), U.S. Representative from New York
- John Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
- Josephine Heffernan (1876 - 1962), Irish-American nurse
- Kate Heffernan (born 1999), New Zealand cricketer
- Kevin Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
- Killian Heffernan (born 2002), Irish darts player
- Margaret Heffernan, international businesswoman and writer
- Michael Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
- Nathan Heffernan (1920–2007), American judge
- Neil Heffernan (1970–present), American professor of computer science
- Paul Heffernan, Irish footballer
- Ray Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
- Robert Heffernan, Irish walker
- Roy Heffernan (1926–1993), Australian wrestler
- Seamie Heffernan, Irish jockey
- Virginia Heffernan, American journalist
- William Heffernan, American author
- William J. Heffernan (1872–1955), New York politician
- William Heffernan III, Connecticut politician
Fictional characters
edit- Carrie Heffernan, fictional character in The King of Queens
- Doug Heffernan, fictional character in The King of Queens
Other uses
edit- Heffernan v. City of Paterson, a legal case
See also
edit- Pre-Norman invasion Irish Celtic kinship groups, from whom many of the modern Irish surnames came from
References
edit- ^ Cairney, C. Thomas (1989). Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London: McFarland & Company. pp. 61, 70. ISBN 0899503624.
Sources
edit- Heffernan at behindthename.com
This page lists people with the surname Heffernan.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.