Show ContentsMangum History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Mangum originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Mongain, which is derived from the word mongach, which means hairy. 1

Early Origins of the Mangum family

The surname Mangum was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat and styled as one of the Irish Clanns who were descendants of King Niall of the Nine Hostages. They were descended through Eochy Moyvane, to Niall Mor, his son, the great Niall of the Nine Hostages. Descended was O'Mongain the great chief of the Mangans whose territories included branches in Mayo, Connacht, Cork and Limerick.

Early History of the Mangum family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mangum research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1772, 1803 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Mangum History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mangum Spelling Variations

Names written in official documents were generally spelt as they sounded, leading to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion in records of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Mangum that are preserved in documents of the family history are Ó Mongain (Gaelic), Mangan, Mongan, Mongin, Mungan, Mungen, Mongun, O'Mongan, O'Mongin, O'Mungen, O'Mongun, O'Mongun, O'Mangan and many more.

Early Notables of the Mangum family

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

Mangum Ranking

In the United States, the name Mangum is the 3,069th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Mangum 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 Mangum: John, Mary and Judy Mangan who arrived in New York State in 1853; Francis, Henry, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, and William Mangan, all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1826 and 1868.


Contemporary Notables of the name Mangum (post 1700) +

  • Leo Allan Mangum (1896-1974), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1924 to 1935
  • Jonathan Mangum (b. 1971), American actor and comedian, known for his role on The Wayne Brady Show and as an announcer for the game show Let's Make a Deal
  • John Wayne Mangum Jr. (b. 1967), former American professional NFL football player for the Chicago Bears from 1990 to 1998
  • Tanner Mangum (b. 1993), American football quarterback for the BYU Cougars
  • A. S. Mangum, American landowner and eponym of Mangum, a city and county seat in Greer County, Oklahoma
  • Spurgeon C. Mangum, American farmer who discovered the Mangum Mound Site on his farm in 1936
  • Dustin Ross "Dusty" Mangum (b. 1981), American former placekicker for the University of Texas at Austin's college football team
  • Kris Thomas Mangum (b. 1973), American NFL football player, brother of John Mangum, Jr
  • Willie Person Mangum (1792-1861), American politician, U.S. Senator from the state of North Carolina, candidate for President
  • Jeff Mangum (b. 1970), American musician and songwriter
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Mangum +

  • The Magnums of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama & Mississippi by John T. Palmer.

  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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