Tarangnan is found near the former ancient pueblo Tinago, the first town to be Christianized and was made a center or cabecera.

During the earlier part of the 17th century, Tarangnan or Tinago was the first settlement of Jesuit missionaries on the island of Samar.

When Tinago was devastated by the Moro attack in 1616, the Jesuits decided to transfer the cabecera to Catbalogan.

As the Spaniards settled in Samar, they saw the need of all-weather seaports and easy communications for their commercial activities and political administration.

This development paved the way for the convergence of the inhabitants into the old town site of Tarangnan, where transport was relatively accessible.

Taking into consideration the island's commercial boom, with prospects of Tarangnan as a trading center and its religious vigilance over Dapdap, on June 21, 1881, Gov.

He recommended the transfer of the Poblacion from Dapdap to Tarangnan due to the former's poor accessibility, unavailability of land area for expansion, and its unsanitary environment.