Contents [hide]

McGahan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

McGahan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The first family to use the name McGahan lived in the area that was once the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It is a name for a /the personal names Eachan and Eochaidh. The Gaelic form of the name is usually Mac Eachainn, meaning son of Eachan. However, The surnames MacGeachie, MacGeachy, and MacKeachie are derived from the Irish surname Mag Eachaidh, an Ulster variant of Mag Eochadha, which means son of Eochaidh. 1

Early Origins of the McGahan family

The surname McGahan was first found in Knoydart, where they were a sept of the MacDonalds, descended from Hector (Gaelic Eachann,) second son of Roderick MacDonald, 3rd of Moydart and Clanranald. 2

Early History of the McGahan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGahan research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1686, 1694, 1711, 1715, 1745 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McGahan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGahan Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of McGahan include McEachan, McGeachan, McKechnie, McGeachie and many more.

Early Notables of the McGahan family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGahan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGahan Ranking

In the United States, the name McGahan is the 12,377^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the McGahan family to Ireland

Some of the McGahan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGahan migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The McGahan were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

McGahan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew McGahan, aged 29, who landed in New York in 1812 4
Thomas McGahan, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1854 4
John McGahan, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 4

McGahan migration to Australia +

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

McGahan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick McGahan, British Convict who was convicted in Cambrai (Cambray), Hauts-de-France, France for life, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Thomas McGahan, aged 37, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Constance" 6
T. McGahan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constance" in 1849 6

McGahan 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:

McGahan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas McGahan, aged 26, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
Catherine McGahan, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
Thomas McGahan, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
John McGahan, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
Margaret McGahan, aged 43, a farmer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McGahan (post 1700) +

Walter G. McGahan, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Senate 5th District, 1955-58; Defeated, 1958 7
Wallace B. McGahan, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Alabama 2nd District, 2000 7
Dan McGahan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1944 7
Andrew McGahan (1966-2019), Australian AFI and Film Critics Circle of Australia Award winning novelist, best known for his first novel Praise Miles Franklin Award-winning novel The White Earth(2004)
Anna McGahan (b. 1988), Australian two-time Logie Award nominated television and film actress, best known for playing the role of Nellie Cameron in the television series, Underbelly: Razor in 2011
Tony McGahan, Australian rugby union coach
Hugh Joseph McGahan MBE (b. 1961), New Zealand former rugby league footballer and coach who represented the New Zealand national team (1982-1990)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constance.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html