Show ContentsO'Hagen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Hagen is Ó hAgain, which was earlier rendered as Ó hOgain. Traditionally, the name means young. 1

Early Origins of the O'Hagen family

The surname O'Hagen was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the O'Hagen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Hagen research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1612 and 1722 are included under the topic Early O'Hagen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Hagen Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname O'Hagen are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Hagan, Hegan, Hagen, O'Hagan and others.

Early Notables of the O'Hagen family

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

Migration of the O'Hagen family

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the O'Hagen family in North America: Agnes Hagan settled in New England in 1802; Alexander, Bernard, Charles, Henry, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas and William Hagan all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..



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


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