Gaughan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Gaughan

What does the name Gaughan mean?

The Irish name Gaughan has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Gaughan is Mag Eachain.

Early Origins of the Gaughan family

The surname Gaughan was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Gaughan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaughan research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1641, 1730, 1747, 1761 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Gaughan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaughan Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Gaughan were encountered in the archives: Gahan, Gaghan, Gagham, Getham, Gaham, Gahame and others.

Early Notables of the Gaughan family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was William Gahan (1730-1804), Irish ecclesiastic and author, born in Dublin in June 1730. He was of a Leinster sept, the original name of which was O'Gaoithin, anglicised Gahan. He was educated at Dublin, became a member of the Augustinian order there, and in 1747 entered the Catholic university of Louvain, where he studied for eleven...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gaughan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaughan Ranking

In the United States, the name Gaughan is the 9,569^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Gaughan migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Gaughan:

Gaughan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Gaughan, who landed in Arkansas in 1870 2
John Gaughan, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1879 2
Bgt. Gaughan, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland, in 1892
Bridgit Gaughan, aged 37, who landed in America from Queenstown, in 1892
Annie Gaughan, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895

Gaughan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Bridget Gaughan, aged 22, who landed in America from Ballina, in 1905
Annie Gaughan, aged 23, who settled in America from Knockmore, Ireland, in 1907
Bridget Gaughan, aged 22, who settled in America from Ballina, Ireland, in 1909
Bridget Gaughan, aged 19, who immigrated to America from Knockmore, Ireland, in 1910
Bridget Gaughan, aged 18, who landed in America from Geesala, Ireland, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gaughan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gaughan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Catherine Gaughan, aged 35 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Yorkshire Lass" departing from the port of Killala, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
Mrs. Margaret Gaughan, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Pandora" departing from the port of New Ross, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 3
Mr. Patrick Gaughan, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Yorkshire" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
Mr. Patrick Gaughan, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Covenanter" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
Mr. Michael Gaughan, aged 6 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "George" departing 13th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gaughan (post 1700) +

Norbert Felix Gaughan (1921-1999), American bishop of the Catholic Church, Bishop of Gary (1984–1996)
Philip Gaughan (1865-1913), United States Marine Corps sergeant, recipient of the Medal of Honor
Patricia Anne Gaughan (b. 1953), United States federal judge
John D. "Jackie" Gaughan Sr. (1920-2014), American casino owner and operator in the 1950s in Las Vegas, Nevada
Jack Gaughan (1930-1985), American science fiction artist and illustrator, eponym of the Jack Gaughan Award
Brendan Gaughan (b. 1975), American stock car driver
T. J. Gaughan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1908 5
Kevin P. Gaughan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 31st District, 1990 5
Bill Gaughan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2008 5
Michael Gaughan (1949-1974), Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) hunger striker
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Gaughan 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: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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. 30)
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. 77)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html