| ![Show Contents]() Meagan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Ireland
Etymology of MeaganWhat does the name Meagan mean? The surname Meagan originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Miadhachain," which is derived from the word miadhach, meaning honorable. 1 Early Origins of the Meagan familyThe surname Meagan was first found in County Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province, Originally, "Ó Miadhacháin, this is the name of at least two distinct septs; it is now equally distributed throughout the four provinces." 2 Early History of the Meagan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meagan research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Meagan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Meagan Spelling VariationsNames from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Meagan revealed many variations, including Meighan, Meehan, Meegin, Meeghen, Meegan, Meakin, Meakins, Mekins, Mehan, Mehen, Mehigan, Mehegan, O'Meighan, O'Meehan and many more. Early Notables of the Meagan familyMore information is included under the topic Early Meagan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Meagan familyTo escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Meagan or a variant listed above, including: Thomas Mehegan, who settled in San Francisco in 1850; Daniel and Betsy Mehen settled in Boston in 1849; along with John, Laurence, Mathew and Hugh; John (3) Meighan arrived in Philadelphia in 1845.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Meagan (post 1700) | + |
- Michael Kevin "Mick" Meagan (1934-2022), Irish professional footballer and first manager of the Republic of Ireland national team to be given total control over selecting players
- Meagan Mauter, American Associate Professor, Stanford University
- Meagan Yvonne Tandy (b. 1985), American actress and model
- Meagan Kelly McCray (b. 1987), American soccer player
- Meagan Duhamel (b. 1985), Canadian pair figure skater, 2013 World bronze medalist, 2013 Four Continents champion, two-time Canadian national champion
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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