Hannigen is a variant of the Irish surname O'Hannagain. The original form, O'Hannagain, is derived from the Irish Ó hAnnagáin, which means "descendant of Annagán". The personal name Annagán was a diminutive of Annadh, a name meaning "delay". This practice of forming surnames from ancestral personal names is typical of Irish patronymic naming traditions. The surname Hannigen, along with its many variant Anglicized forms such as Hanegan, Hanigan, Hannigan, O'Hanegan, and O'Hanigan, primarily appears in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora. Like many Irish surnames, the spelling was often altered when records were made in English, with the prefix O' frequently dropped or retained inconsistently. Descendants of the original O'Hannagain family may now bear any of these forms. Meaning: Variant of O'Hannagain, meaning "descendant of Annagán" (diminutive of Annadh, "delay") Origin: Irish Type: Patronymic surname Usage regions: Ireland, countries with Irish diaspora