McMeechan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Early Origins of the McMeechan family

Early History of the McMeechan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMeechan research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McMeechan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McMeechan Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were typically recorded as they sounded and in many cases, one's surname spelling changed with each record. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the McMeechan family name include O'Meehan, Meighan, MacMeehan, MacMeekin, MacMeekan,MacMehan, MacMehon and many more.

Early Notables of the McMeechan family

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

Migration of the McMeechan family

Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name McMeechan or one of its variants: Owen McMehan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1845; Juda and Felix McMean settled in Boston in 1768.