Contents [hide]

Egan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Egan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Ireland

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Egan family in Ireland was Mac Aodhagain, which means "son of Aodh, son of fire," a personal name usually Anglicized as Hugh. A Brehon family originally of Uí Maine, which settled in Ormond. 1

The family claim descent from Saint and Bishop Eoghan (d. 618), "of Ardsratha, now Ardstraw, in the county of Tyrone and diocese of Derry. Descended from Ugaine Mor on the father's side he was thus connected by kindred with the chieftains of Leinster, while through his mother, Muindech, he claimed relationship with the Ulster families." 2

Another source confirms the name descends from "the cineal Eoghain, [who] were the ' genus' or progeny of Eoghan, a great Irish chief contemporary with St. Patrick. The name is Anglicized to Owen and Eugene. " 3

Early Origins of the Egan family

The surname Egan was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

The ancient Egans were lawyers of Ui Maine, a region which is today called Galway, Roscommon and Offaly. The earliest surviving Irish law manuscript, In Senchas MÃ¡r, was written prior to 1350 at a school (patronized by Mac Aodhagain) at Duniry, near Loughrea.

Early History of the Egan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Egan research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Egan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Egan Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Egan 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 Egan, Eagan, Keegan, MacEgan, Kegan, Keagan and many more.

Early Notables of the Egan family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Eugene Nicholas Egan who built an organ for Lisbon Cathedral about 1740. He was scarcely four feet high

Egan Ranking

In the United States, the name Egan is the 1,621^st most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Egan is ranked the 335^th most popular surname with an estimated 10,675 people with that name. 5

Egan migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Egan family came to North America quite early:

Egan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

LaughIan Egan, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 6

Egan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Egan, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 6
Christian Egan, aged 17, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 6
Philip Egan, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 6
Barnaby Egan, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 6
Rev. Michael Egan who became Bishop of Philadelphia in 1790

Egan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary, Egan Jr., aged 27, who landed in Charlestown, Maw in 1803 6
Thomas Egan, aged 29, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1803 6
Joshua Egan, who landed in New York in 1813 6
William Egan, who arrived in New York in 1818 6
P Egan, aged 28, who arrived in America in 1821 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Egan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Egan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Egan, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1808
Daniel Egan, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1811
Michael Egan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1832
John Egan, aged 25, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
John Egan, aged 45, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Egan migration to Australia +

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

Egan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Martin Egan, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he was executed in 1811 7
Miss Catherine Egan, (b. 1794), aged 19, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Catherine" on 8th December 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Malachy Egan, (b. 1799), aged 21, Irish labourer who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for life for sedition, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Egan, (b. 1808), aged 15, Irish stone cutter who was convicted in Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 28th September 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1828 10
Mr. Thomas Egan, (b. 1791), aged 32, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 28th September 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Egan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Egan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Christopher Egan, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Thomas Egan, aged 42, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 11
Mr. Thomas Egan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Inchinnan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 27th May 1852 11
Patrick Egan, aged 26, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1856
Mr. Dennis Egan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Euphemus" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th February 1857 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Egan (post 1700) +

John Francis "Johnny" Egan (1939-2022), American professional NBA basketball player and coach from Hartford, Connecticut
Dennis William Egan (1947-2022), American politician, Member of the Alaska Senate (2009-2019), Mayor of Juneau (1995-2000), radio broadcaster for KINY, inducted to the Alaskan Broadcaster Association's Hall of Fame in 2001
Michael Francis Egan OFM (1761-1814), Irish-born, American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Philadelphia
Reuben David Egan (1954-2016), American singer, songwriter, and pianist
Susan Egan (b. 1970), American actress, known for her work on Hercules (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and 13 Going on 30 (2004)
Richard "Rich" Egan, American co-founder of Vagrant Records in 1996
Richard Joseph "Dick" Egan (1884-1947), American Major League Baseball shortstop/second baseman who played from 1908 to 1916
Richard Wallis "Dick" Egan (b. 1937), American retired Major League Baseball player who played from 1963 to 1967
Richard Allen Egan Jr. (b. 1959), American ragtime pianist, composer, transcriber, and arranger
Richard John Egan (1936-2009), American businessman, political fundraiser and former US Ambassador to Ireland
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Egan family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. William Egan, English Boatswain's Mate from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 12

USS Arizona

Mr. Paul H. Egan, American Fire Control man Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 13

The Egan 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: Fortitudine et prudentia
Motto Translation: With fortitude and prudence.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
Convict Records of Australia (Retreived 2nd January 2021, retreived from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/catherine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 2nd January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/castle-forbes
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html