Show ContentsManghent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Manghent originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Mongain, which is derived from the word mongach, which means hairy. [1]

Early Origins of the Manghent family

The surname Manghent was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat and styled as one of the Irish Clanns who were descendants of King Niall of the Nine Hostages. They were descended through Eochy Moyvane, to Niall Mor, his son, the great Niall of the Nine Hostages. Descended was O'Mongain the great chief of the Mangans whose territories included branches in Mayo, Connacht, Cork and Limerick.

Early History of the Manghent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Manghent research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1772, 1803 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Manghent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Manghent Spelling Variations

Scribes and church officials, lacking today's standardized spelling rules, recorded names by how they were pronounced. This imprecise guide often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Manghent are preserved in documents of the family history. The various spellings of the name that were found include Ó Mongain (Gaelic), Mangan, Mongan, Mongin, Mungan, Mungen, Mongun, O'Mongan, O'Mongin, O'Mungen, O'Mongun, O'Mongun, O'Mangan and many more.

Early Notables of the Manghent family

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

Migration of the Manghent family

A massive wave of Irish immigrants hit North America during the 19th century. Although many early Irish immigrants made a carefully planned decision to leave left Ireland for the promise of free land, by the 1840s immigrants were fleeing a famine stricken land in desperation. The condition of Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s can be attributed to a rapidly expanding population and English imperial policies. Those Irish families that arrived in North America were essential to its rapid social, industrial, and economic development. Passenger and immigration lists have revealed a number of early Irish immigrants bearing the name Manghent: John, Mary and Judy Mangan who arrived in New York State in 1853; Francis, Henry, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, and William Mangan, all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1826 and 1868.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


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