Recorded in over twenty spelling forms all very rare, and including Sreeane, Sreenan, Skrane, Shrehan, Shreenan, and many others, this is a Gaelic surname. It is almost certainly Irish being originally recorded it is said, as O' Sriarain, which would seem to translate as the descendant of the son of "Sruth". The latter is claimed to be a byname which has or had the meaning of stream, or by implication "clear". Almost all Gaelic surnames originate from a nickname for the original chief or first nameholder, which is usually the same. Some of these names are truly ancient, dating back to the First Millenium. Although the place of origin is unclear it has been suggested that this was County Monaghan, which would also help to explain its presence in Scotland. Indeed it is remotely possible that the name originated from Scotrland in the first place, but of this we have no proof only some hearsay. Examples of the surname recordings taken from surviving Irish church registers include Michael Sreeane, christened on October 30th 1865 at Lawrence Town, County Galway, and Joannes Shrehan, whose daugher Catarina, was christened at Breedogue, County Roscommon, on December 7th 1873.

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