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Coghlan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Coghlan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The name Coghlan has undergone many variations in the time that has passed since its genesis. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Cochlain or Ó Cochlain. 1

Early Origins of the Coghlan family

The surname Coghlan was first found in Munster where Dealbha, brother of King Blad of Munster, is the traditional ancestor of this family. There were two different septs which have become known as Coughlan: the MacCoughlans, who dwelled in the barony of Garrycastle in Offaly, and the O'Coughlans, who lived in the baronies of Carbery and Ballymore in Cork. In Cork, they occupied the territories known as the baronies of Carbery and Ballymore.

The MacCoughlans were the more important of the two septs until they dissolved and scattered during the 18th century. They were a Dalcassian sept, and their chief was referred to as Chief of Delvin MacCoughlan. In 1858, they were still recorded as landlords at Cloghan, near Banagher, but they vanished within fifty years. However, the O'Coughlans, who were recorded in large numbers at the time of the 1659 census, still continue to be numerous in those territories. This census shows the prefix O to have been largely discarded by that time. The MacCoghlans lost most of their extensive territories during the Anglo Norman invasion of Ireland by Strongbow in 1172, and lost even more during the Cromwellian Invasion in 1641.

Early History of the Coghlan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coghlan research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1590 is included under the topic Early Coghlan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coghlan Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, exact spellings for people's name did not exist. It was up to the literate scribe that was recording a person's name to decide how to spell his name. Names, therefore, often had many spelling variations. The variations of the name Coghlan include: Coghlan, Coughlan, MacCoughlan, McCoughlan, Coglan, Couglan, Coughlin and many more.

Early Notables of the Coghlan family

More information is included under the topic Early Coghlan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coghlan Ranking

In the United States, the name Coghlan is the 15,226^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Coghlan 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 Coghlan or one of its variants:

Coghlan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Bartholomew Coghlan, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 3

Coghlan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francis Coghlan, who arrived in Virginia in 1715 3

Coghlan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Coghlan, aged 39, who landed in New York in 1812 3
James Coghlan, who settled in New York in 1812
Bridget Coghlan, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
Catherine Coghlan, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
Mary Coghlan, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coghlan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Coghlan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Bart Coghlan, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Margaret Coghlan, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Owen Coghlan, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Sea Horse" in 1833
Peggy Coghlan, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
Catherine Donohoe Coghlan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1836
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coghlan migration to Australia +

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

Coghlan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Coghlan, (Cocklan, Cochland), (b. 1804), aged 18, 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 4
Mr. William Coghlan, (b. 1786), aged 40, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Boyne" on 28th October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Patrick Coghlan, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Miss Margaret Coghlan, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Michael Coghlan, (b. 1803), aged 41, Irish shoe maker who was convicted in County Clare, Ireland for 10 years for theft, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coghlan 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:

Coghlan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Coghlan, aged 50, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
Frances Coghlan, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
Joseph Coghlan, aged 11, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
Susan Coghlan, aged 1 month, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
Richard Coghlan, aged 19, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Coghlan (post 1700) +

Christopher B. Coghlan (b. 1985), American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year
Frank Coghlan Jr. (1916-2009), American child actor, best known for his role as Billy Batson in the 1941 motion picture serial Adventures of Captain Marvel and for his appearances in Our Gang
Rear Admiral Joseph Bulloch Coghlan (1844-1908), American officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War, eponym of USS Coghlan (DD-326) and USS Coghlan (DD-606)
John M. Coghlan (1835-1879), California Republican politician
T. J. Coghlan, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 1868; Delegate to South Carolina State Constitutional Convention from Sumter County, 1868 9
John Maxwell Coghlan (1835-1879), American Republican politician, Member of California State Assembly 18th District, 1865-67; U.S. Representative from California 3rd District, 1871-73; Defeated, 1872 9
John M. Coghlan, American politician, Justice of Utah Territorial Supreme Court, 1876-80 9
Daniel Coghlan, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Morris County, 1868 9
Paul Coghlan (1944-2023), Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from June 2016 to March 2020 and a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel from 1997 to 2020
John Coghlan (b. 1989), Irish hurler
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Coghlan family +

SS Atlantic

Mr. George Coghlan, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Margaret Coghlan, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

The Coghlan 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: Fortis in arduis
Motto Translation: Brave in difficulties.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyne
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html