Show ContentsRagan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the Ragan family

The surname Ragan 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 Ragan family

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

Ragan Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached. Research into the name Ragan revealed spelling variations, including Reagan, Regan, O'Regan, O'Reagan and others.

Early Notables of the Ragan family

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

Ragan Ranking

In the United States, the name Ragan is the 3,431st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. [2]


United States Ragan migration to the United States +

Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Ragan or one of its variants:

Ragan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Ragan, a bonded passenger, who arrived in America in 1750
  • John Ragan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1798
Ragan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Eleanor Ragan, who arrived in Baltimore in 1825
  • James Ragan, aged 21, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 [3]
  • John Ragan, aged 31, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1852 [3]
  • Michael Ragan, who arrived in New York in 1853 [3]
  • Daniel Ragan, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1857 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Ragan migration to Australia +

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

Ragan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Ragan who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]
  • Mr. James Ragan, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [5]
  • Miss Mary Ragan, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 11th February 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [6]
  • Henry Ragan, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [7]
Ragan Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century
  • "Miss Catherine Ragan, (b. 1809), aged 19, Irish servant from Cork who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the ""Competitor"" on 9th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia" [8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Ragan (post 1700) +

  • Arthur Edgar "Rip" Ragan (1878-1953), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played one season with the Cincinnati Reds in 1903
  • Amanda Ragan (b. 1954), American politician, Member of the Iowa Senate (2002-)
  • Don Carlos Patrick Ragan (1885-1956), American Major League Baseball player
  • David William Ragan Jr. (b. 1935), American professional PGA golfer
  • Sam Ragan (1915-1996), American journalist, author, poet and champion of the arts
  • Philip E. Ragan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 9th District, 1952 [9]
  • Martin Ragan (b. 1899), American Democratic Party politician, Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Brooke County, 1965-67 [9]
  • John M. Ragan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 1888 [9]
  • Hugh Ragan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1912 [9]
  • Daniel T. Ragan, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Gaston County, 1858-59 [9]
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Ragan +

  • The Lineage of the Amos Ragan Family by Elizabeth H. Ragan.

  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land or Port Phillip, Australia in 1848 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1848
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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