McGuigan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:

Ireland

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The McGuigan surname appeared in Gaelic as Mag Uiginn, which is probably derived from a Norse forename. The name is usually pronounced as "McGwiggen" in it's homeland County Tyrone (especially around Omagh).

Early Origins of the McGuigan family

The surname McGuigan 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 McGuigan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGuigan research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1659 and 1800 are included under the topic Early McGuigan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGuigan Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McGuigan can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include MacGuigan, MacGoogan, MacGougan,MacGookin, MacGuckin, MacGugan, MacQuiggan, MacWiggin, MacGucken, MacGuckian, MacGuiggan, MacGuighan and many more.

Early Notables of the McGuigan family

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

McGuigan Ranking

In the United States, the name McGuigan is the 8,907^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

McGuigan migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the McGuigan family came to North America quite early:

McGuigan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Felix McGuigan, who landed in America in 1807 2
Cath. McGuigan, aged 21, who immigrated to America from Tyrone, in 1893
Berd. McGuigan, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896

McGuigan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles McGuigan, aged 21, who landed in America from Cavan, Ireland, in 1907
Cassie McGuigan, aged 24, who landed in America from Draperstown, Ireland, in 1912
Agnes McGuigan, aged 18, who settled in America from Allistragh, Ireland, in 1913
Alice McGuigan, aged 17, who landed in America from Armagh, Ireland, in 1920
Annie McGuigan, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Draperstown, Ireland, in 1923
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGuigan migration to Australia +

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

McGuigan Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Simon Mcguigan, (b. 1765), aged 33, Irish sawyer who was convicted in County Tyrone, Ireland for 7 years for being an Irish rebel, transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1820 when he fell from his horse 3

McGuigan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Mcguigan, (b. 1809), aged 19, Irish weaver who was convicted in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Fergusson" on 16th November 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Patrick Mcguigan, (b. 1812), aged 16, Irish rope maker who was convicted in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland for 7 years for shop lifting, transported aboard the "Fergusson" on 16th November 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1863 4

Contemporary Notables of the name McGuigan (post 1700) +

Patrick "Paddy" Daniel McGuigan (1868-1938), American boxer, promoter and entertainer
Samuel McGuigan, American politician, Supervisor of Benton Township, Michigan, 1863-64 5
Joseph J. McGuigan, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Canal Zone, 1935-40 5
James McGuigan, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1996 5
J. Carl McGuigan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1948 5
Howard McGuigan, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1964 5
Donald G. McGuigan, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 10th District, 1961 5
Colleen McGuigan, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 2000 5
Charles P. McGuigan, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Red Lion, Pennsylvania, 1953-61 5
Danika 'Nika' McGuigan (1986-2019), Irish actress, best known for her starring role as art student Danielle Mullane in Can't Cope, Won't Cope (2016–2018), daughter of Barry McGuigan
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The McGuigan Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Semper patriae servire presto
Motto Translation: Always ready to serve my country