Contents [hide]

O'Regan History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

O'Regan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of O'Regan

What does the name O'Regan mean?

Irish surnames are linked to the long Gaelic heritage of the Island nation. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Regan is Ó Riagain. In County Waterford, the Gaelic form Ó Reagain is used.

Early Origins of the O'Regan family

The surname O'Regan was first found in County Meath (Irish: An Mhí) anciently part of the kingdom of Brega, located in Eastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

One of the oldest records of the family was Morice Regan (fl. 1171), an Irish interpreter. He is stated in an old French poem, of which the only text begins 'Par soen demeine latimer.' He is thought to have acted as an interpreter and herald, or envoy in the service of Diarmaid MacMurchada, King of Leinster. 1

Early History of the O'Regan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Regan research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early O'Regan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Regan Spelling Variations

Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname O'Regan that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Reagan, Regan, O'Regan, O'Reagan and others.

Early Notables of the O'Regan family

Notable among the family name at this time was

O'Regan of Meath

O'Regan migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name O'Regan, or one of its variants:

O'Regan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Teage Oregan, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 2

O'Regan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James, John, Patrick, Thomas and William O'Regan, who all arrived at Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860

O'Regan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellen O'Regan, aged 4, who immigrated to the United States from Cork, Ireland, in 1907
Ellie O'Regan, aged 30, who landed in America from Timoleague, Ireland, in 1908
Daniel O'Regan, aged 20, who landed in America from Drimoleague, Ireland, in 1910
Annie O'Regan, aged 48, who landed in America from Skibbereen, Ireland, in 1913
Cissie O'Regan, aged 20, who settled in America from Cork, Ireland, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

O'Regan migration to Australia +

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

O'Regan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James O'regan, (b. 1797), aged 45, Irish solider from Limerick who was convicted in Chennai (Madras), India for life for desertion from the army, transported aboard the "Flora" in 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1832 3
Catherine O'Regan, aged 25, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Velocity"
Cornelius O'Regan, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"
Timothy O'Regan, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"
Mr. Patrick O'Regan, (b. 1838), aged 25, Irish labourer travelling from Queenstown, Ireland aboard the ship "Golden Empire" arriving in Brisbane, Australia in July 1863 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

O'Regan 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:

O'Regan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Elizabeth O'Regan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 3rd November 1859 5
Mr. Michael O'Regan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 3rd November 1859 5
Mr. Patrick O'Regan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 3rd November 1859 5
Mr. William O'Regan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 3rd November 1859 5
Mr. Joseph O'Regan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 3rd November 1859 5

Contemporary Notables of the name O'Regan (post 1700) +

Michael O'Regan (1953-2024), Irish journalist, political analyst, and broadcaster
Seamus Thomas Harris O'Regan (b. 1971), Canadian broadcast journalist with CTV National News, former host of Canada AM from St. John's, Newfoundland, Minister of Seniors (2023-2024), Minister of Labour (2021-2024), Minister of Natural Resources (2019-2021)
Michael O'Regan OBE (b. 1947), English economist, co-founder of Research Machines
Denis O'Regan (b. 1953), English rock photographer. known for his images of Queen, David Bowie, and Duran Duran
Katherine Victoria O'Regan QSO (1946-2018), née Newton, a New Zealand politician, Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waipa (1984-1996)
Private Michael O'Regan (1846-1933), American soldier in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in fighting Apache Indians in the Arizona Territory
Tarik Hamilton O'Regan (b. 1978), British two-time Grammy Award nominated composer
Sir Mark Andrew O'Regan KNZM, New Zealand jurist, Justice of the Supreme Court (2014-)
Anthony O'Regan (1809-1866), Irish-born, American Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Chicago (1854 to 1858)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/flora
The Ships List Passenger Lists Ship Golden Empire (Retrieved 26th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.ozlists.com/genies/shipping/special_lists/s_golden_empire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html