Show ContentsHoren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While the Anglicized versions of Irish names are familiar to most people, many Irish names have a long and proud Gaelic heritage that is often unknown. The original Gaelic form of the name Horen is Ó hArgain.

Early Origins of the Horen family

The surname Horen was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they were part of the main tribe in prehistoric times, known as the Corca Laoidhe.

Early History of the Horen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horen research. Another 174 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1715, 1849, 1880 and 1922 are included under the topic Early Horen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horen Spelling Variations

The search for the origins of the name Horen family name revealed numerous spelling variations. These variants can be somewhat accounted for when it is realized that before widespread literacy people only recognized their name by pronunciation; it was up to scribes to decide how it was to be formally recorded. Variations found include Horgan, O'Horgan, Horgon, Hourigan, Horrigan, O'Hourigan, O'Horrigan, Arragan, O'Arragan, Aragan, Harrigan, O'Harrigan and many more.

Early Notables of the Horen family

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


Canada Horen migration to Canada +

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many Horens:

Horen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Joanna Horen, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1839
  • Ellen Horen, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Horen (post 1700) +

  • Roxy Horen (d. 2009), American stage actress
  • Robert L. Horen (1925-1994), American actor, best known for his role in Weekend at Bernie's (1989)


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