Show ContentsMcGugan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The McGugan surname appeared in Gaelic as Mag Uiginn, which is probably derived from a Norse forename. The name is usually pronounced as "McGwiggen" in it's homeland County Tyrone (especially around Omagh).

Early Origins of the McGugan family

The surname McGugan was first found in County Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McGugan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGugan research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1659 and 1800 are included under the topic Early McGugan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGugan Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McGugan can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include MacGuigan, MacGoogan, MacGougan,MacGookin, MacGuckin, MacGugan, MacQuiggan, MacWiggin, MacGucken, MacGuckian, MacGuiggan, MacGuighan and many more.

Early Notables of the McGugan family

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


United States McGugan migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the McGugan name:

McGugan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Daniel McGugan, aged 30, who arrived in North Carolina in 1812 1

Contemporary Notables of the name McGugan (post 1700) +

  • Jackie McGugan (1939-2015), Scottish footballer, member of the St. Mirren team that won the 1959 Scottish Cup Final
  • Brian Knox McGugan, Canadian actor and director, known for his work on Madness (2014), Motifs and Repetitions (1997) and The Mayor's Corpse
  • Stuart McGugan (b. 1944), Scottish actor known for his work on It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974), Hamish Macbeth (1995) and Some Kind of Life (1995)
  • Malcolm McGugan (1846-1937), Canadian farmer and politician who represented Middlesex South in the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1904
  • Irene McGugan (b. 1952), Scottish politician, Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland (1999-2003)
  • Lewis Shay McGugan (b. 1988), English footballer

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Donald Mcgugan, English Trimmer from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 2
  • Mr. Walter Mcgugan, English Trimmer from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 2


The McGugan 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: Semper patriae servire presto
Motto Translation: Always ready to serve my country


  1. 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)
  2. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


Houseofnames.com on Facebook