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Costigan History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Costigan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Costigan

What does the name Costigan mean?

While the Anglicized versions of Irish names are familiar to most people, many Irish names have a long and proud Gaelic heritage that is often unknown. The original Gaelic form of the name Costigan is Mac Oistigin which is probably derived from the pet form of the English name Roger, which is Hodgkin. 1

Early Origins of the Costigan family

The surname Costigan was first found in Leix (Irish: Laois) formerly known as Queen's County, located in central Ireland, in Leinster Province, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

The family descend through the Fitzpatrick, Princes of Ossary, line and are listed 121st in that genealogy.

"Geoffrey Baccach: his son, had a brother named Ostagan: ("osda:" Irish a host; "gan" without), a quo "Clan Ostagain," Anglicised Costigan." 2

Early History of the Costigan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Costigan research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1039 is included under the topic Early Costigan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Costigan Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname Costigan exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Costigan, Costigen, Costigin, McCostigan and others.

Early Notables of the Costigan family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Patrick Costigan, Irish Scholar

Costigan Ranking

In the United States, the name Costigan is the 15,220^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Costigan is ranked the 659^th most popular surname with an estimated 67 people with that name. 4

Costigan migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Costigan:

Costigan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Costigan, who landed in America in 1801 5
William Costigan, aged 29, who landed in Maryland in 1812 5
Michael Costigan, who landed in New York in 1829 5
Michael, James, Joseph, Lawrence, Patt, Thomas (three of this name), and William Costigan, who, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1850 and 1870
John and William Costigan, who settled in Colliers in 1871

Costigan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Costigan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Costigan, who settled in Torbay, Newfoundland in 1776
Pat Costigan was a fisherman of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1777 6

Costigan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Costigan, who arrived in Halifax or New York in 1811
Vincent Costigan, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1812
Michael Costigan from County Kilkenny was married in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1812
Vincent Costigan, who settled in Harbour Main in 1838
Patrick Costigan, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Costigan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Costigan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Costigan, (b. 1821), aged 13, Irish farm servant who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for life , transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 27th July 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Blooy Costigan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1839 8
Biddy Costigan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1839 8
Mr. John Costigan, (b. 1784), aged 56, Irish labourer who was convicted in Ireland, Kilkenny for 7 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 19th August 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1851 9
Patrick Costigan, aged 34, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Nugget" 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Costigan (post 1700) +

James Costigan (1926-2007), American television actor and Emmy Award-winning television screenwriter
Giovanni Costigan (1905-1990), American historian and specialist in Irish and English history
Francis Costigan (1810-1865), American Indiana architect known primarily for his work in Madison, Indiana and Indianapolis
John Edward Costigan NA (1888-1972), American artist, born in Providence, Rhode Island
Keith Costigan, American former professional soccer player who now works as a television analyst and commentator for Fox Soccer Channel in Los Angeles
Mabel Cory Costigan (1873-1951), American community and church leader and advocate for labor laws for children and foreign-born individuals
Sandra Costigan (b. 1964), American former field hockey player who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics
Will F. Costigan Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1952 11
Will F. Costigan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1944 11
W. Lee Costigan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1940 11
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCE REGENT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839PrinceRegent.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
South Australian Register Tuesday 4th July 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Nugget 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/nugget1854.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html