| ![Show Contents]() Mechan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Ireland Etymology of MechanWhat does the name Mechan mean? The Irish surname Mechan was originally Ó Miadhachain in Irish Gaelic, which is derived from the word "miadhach," meaning "honorable." 1 Early Origins of the Mechan familyThe surname Mechan was first found in County Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Early History of the Mechan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mechan research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mechan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Mechan Spelling VariationsIrish names recorded during the Middle Ages are characterized by many spelling variations. This preponderance of variations for common names can be explained by the fact that the scribes and church officials that kept records during that period individually decided how to capture one's name. These recorders primarily based their decisions on how the name was pronounced or what it meant. Research into the name Mechan revealed many variations, including O'Meehan, Meighan, MacMeehan, MacMeekin, MacMeekan,MacMehan, MacMehon and many more. Early Notables of the Mechan familyMore information is included under the topic Early Mechan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Mechan migration to the United States | + |
A great wave of Irish migration occurred during the 19th century as a direct result of English colonial rule and tight-fisted absentee landlords. Many of these Irish immigrants boarded passenger ships bound for North America. Those who migrated early enough were given land in either British North America or the United States; those who came in the late 19th century were typically employed in industrial centers as laborers. At whatever age they undertook the dangerous passage to North America, those Irish immigrants were essential to the speedy development of the two infant nations to which they arrived, whether they broke and settled land, helped build canals, bridges, and railroads, or produced products for consumer consumption. An examination of immigration and passenger lists has uncovered a large number of immigrants bearing the name Mechan or one of its variants:
Mechan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Owen Mechan, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 2
- Ter Mechan, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 2
- Catherine Mechan, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 2
- James Mechan, who landed in New York in 1819 2
- Frederick Mechan, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 2
| Mechan 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: Mechan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Miss Catherine Mechan, (b. 1863), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 25th May 1884 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Mechan (post 1700) | + |
- Thomas Mechan, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1948 4
- MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
- 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)
- 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 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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