Fannin is an Irish surname. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name “O Fionnáin” meaning ‘descendant of Fionnán’, a diminutive of Finn.[i] Forebears suggests it means “Descendant of the little, blond man; grandson of little Fionn (fair).”[ii]
According to Ancestry, during the 1880 Census fully 1/3 of all Fannin families lived in Kentucky, which is where my only known Fannin ancestor, Eliza Jane Fannin, was born about 1860.
My Earliest Fannin Ancestors
Eliza Jane Fannin is my only known Fannin. The 1880 Census indicates she was 19 years old indicating birth between June 1860 and May 1861. She was the wife of John William Manning and they had one daughter, Mary, living with them in Pine Grove, Rowan County, Kentucky. According to oral history, she died in December 1882.
Further Fannin Research
I have been unsuccessful finding clear evidence of Eliza Jane Fannin’s ancestors through normal research methods. However, recently a DNA connection has been found who has Fannin ancestors in Kentucky in the 1860s.
My Direct Fannin Ancestors
#27 – Eliza Jane Fannin (1861-1882) – Generation 5
I have no proven Fannin cousins; however, I have encountered DNA evidence of possible Fannin relatives.
My records have 499 direct descendants of Eliza Jane identified over eight generations, which is 19% of my known Brown/Montran family line.
Today (2014) there are some 8,442 individuals with 7,158 in the United States with the Fannin surname.[iii]
[i] Ancestry – Fannin Family History – https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=Fannin