McMeans History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe surname McMeans originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Miadhachain," which is derived from the word miadhach, meaning honorable. 1 Early Origins of the McMeans familyThe surname McMeans 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 McMeans familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMeans research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early McMeans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McMeans Spelling VariationsWithin the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname McMeans were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Meighan, Meehan, Meegin, Meeghen, Meegan, Meakin, Meakins, Mekins, Mehan, Mehen, Mehigan, Mehegan, O'Meighan, O'Meehan and many more. Early Notables of the McMeans familyMore information is included under the topic Early McMeans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McMeans RankingIn the United States, the name McMeans is the 14,546th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3
During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the McMeans family in North America: McMeans Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
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