Show ContentsMagen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Ireland
Magen Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Magen

What does the name Magen mean?

The surname Magen originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Miadhachain," which is derived from the word miadhach, meaning honorable. 1

Early Origins of the Magen family

The surname Magen was first found in County Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province, Originally, "Ó Miadhacháin, this is the name of at least two distinct septs; it is now equally distributed throughout the four provinces." 2

Early History of the Magen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Magen research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Magen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magen Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Magen were encountered in the archives: Meighan, Meehan, Meegin, Meeghen, Meegan, Meakin, Meakins, Mekins, Mehan, Mehen, Mehigan, Mehegan, O'Meighan, O'Meehan and many more.

Early Notables of the Magen family

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

Magen migration to Australia +

Magen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Magen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1849 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Magen (post 1700) +

  • Zvi Magen (1945-1993), Israeli ambassador to Ukraine in 1993
  • David Magen (b. 1945), Israeli former politician who served as a Minister of Economics and Planning
  • Mira Magen (b. 1950), Israeli author writing in Hebrew, her books were translated to German, French and Italian
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HARPLEY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Harpley.htm

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