Crogan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Crogan originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Grugain," which is derived from either "gruag," which means "hair," and "grug," which means "fierceness."

Early Origins of the Crogan family

The surname Crogan was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Crogan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crogan research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Crogan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crogan Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Crogan revealed spelling variations, including Grogan, O'Grogan, Grogen, Groogen, Grugen, Groggan, O'Groogan and many more.

Early Notables of the Crogan family

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

Migration of the Crogan family

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Crogan: Alexander Grogan settled in Virginia in 1652; Charles, James, Jeremiah, John, Michael, Nathaniel Grogan, all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.

The Crogan 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: Honor et virtus
Motto Translation: Honour and virtue.