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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Fagan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Fagan

What does the name Fagan mean?

The surname Fagan is derived from the Gaelic "O Faodhagain," which in turn comes from the Latin word "paganus," which refers to a "villager" or "peasant."

Early Origins of the Fagan family

The surname Fagan was first found in County Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they settled in early times.

Early History of the Fagan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fagan research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1423, 1638, 1663 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Fagan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fagan Spelling Variations

In the days before Gaelic or English gained any significant semblance of standardization, the scribes who created documents simply recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Fagan family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Fagan, Faggan, Fagin, Feagan, Fegan, Feighan, Fieghan and many more.

Early Notables of the Fagan family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Sir John Fagan

Fagan Ranking

In the United States, the name Fagan is the 2,012^nd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Fagan is ranked the 361^st most popular surname with an estimated 128 people with that name. 2

Fagan migration to the United States +

Many Irish families left the English-controlled Ireland in the 19th century. Early immigrants were primarily after land and the opportunity of living a life entirely of their own fashioning. In the 1840s, this pattern of immigration changed as the Great Potato Famine struck Ireland. Hundreds of thousands left the diseased and starving island with little expectations but many hopes. By this time there was very little available land in the east, so many immigrants joined the movement for the western frontier lands, or settled in established urban centers. Irish immigrants not only made enormous contributions to the rapid development and population of North America, but they also brought with them a rich cultural heritage. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Fagan:

Fagan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Fagan, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
Mary Fagan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 3
Charles Fagan, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
James Fagan, aged 45, who landed in New York in 1812 3
Michael Fagan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fagan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fagan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Bridget Fagan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1828
John Fagan, aged 40, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Breeze" from Dublin, Ireland
James and Michael Fagan from county Tipperary settled in Port de Grave, Newfoundland in 1844 4
Mr. Owen Fagan, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Lotus" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5
Mr. Patrick Fagan, aged 13 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Wandsworth" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle on 22nd May 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fagan migration to Australia +

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

Fagan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Fagan, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Charles Fagan, Irish carter who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Bernard Fagan, (b. 1792), aged 35, Irish rope maker who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for stealing, transported aboard the “Countess of Harcourt“ on 14th February 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1882 8
Mr. Bernard Fagan, (Fegan), (b. 1792), aged 35, Irish rope maker who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for robbery, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 28th June 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1882 9
Mr. Patrick Fagan, (Fegan), (b. 1799), aged 18, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for house robbery, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 25th May 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fagan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Fagan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Fagan, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1836
Stephen Fagan, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. John Fagan, (b. 1809), aged 38, Irish settler born in Dublin arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Mrs. Mary Fagan Née O'Hara, (b. 1813), aged 34, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Mr. Michael Fagan, (b. 1830), aged 17, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fagan (post 1700) +

Richard Fagan (1947-2016), American songwriter and musician
Brian Fagan, American author of popular archaeology books, and emeritus professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara
James Fleming Fagan (1828-1893), Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
Myron Coureval Fagan, American playwright, editor, producer and cinematographer
Mark M Fagan, American politician, former mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey
Kevin Fagan, American football player
Eleonora Fagan (1915-1959), birth name of Billie Holiday, the American jazz singer and songwriter
Charles R. Fagan, American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 18th District, 1877-80 12
Charles Aloysius Fagan (1859-1925), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1896, 1916, 1920 12
C. Edward Fagan, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1980 12
... (Another 38 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Fagan Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deo partriaeque fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to God and my country.

Citations +

"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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 27)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 19th April 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 20th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html