Show ContentsMongen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the Mongen family

The surname Mongen 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 Mongen family

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

Mongen Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Mongen revealed spelling variations, including 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 Mongen family

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

Migration of the Mongen family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Mongen: 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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