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Origins Available: |
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In its ancient Gaelic form, the Irish name McMawind was written Mac Mathghamhna, which later became Mac Mathuna. Both names are derived from the word "mathghamhan," which means "bear."
The surname McMawind was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where the MacMahons were lords of Corca Baisgin; and possessed the greater part of the baronies of Moyarta and Clonderlaw. 1
"The Munster MacMahons formerly possessed the greater part of the Baronies of Moyarta and Clonderalaw, in the County Clare, in which county the predominant name now is McMahon." 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMawind research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1119, 1519, 1600, 1606, 1643, 1644, 1650, 1660, 1680, 1707, 1715, 1727, 1737, 1747 and 1780 are included under the topic Early McMawind History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many variations of the name McMawind were found in archives from the Middle Ages. These variations can be somewhat explained by the challenge of translation of Gaelic names into English. Hence, the spelling and language in which the people's names were recorded was often up to the individual scribe. Variations of the name McMawind found include MacMahon, MacMann, MacMahan, MacMohan and others.
Notable amongst the family name at this time was Séamus mac Pilib Mac Mathghamhna (died 1519), was Bishop of Derry. Hugh Oge MacMahon (1606-1644), was an Irish conspirator, was probably of Sir Brian MacHugh Oge MacMahon, Lord of the Dartree in the county of Monaghan. Herber MacMahon (1600-1650), Bishop of Clogher in 1643, a Catholic leader, commanded the Ulster...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McMawind Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 McMawind or one of its variants: Bernard, Francis, James, John, Michael, Patrick MacMahan, who all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860; Mary McMahan settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1849.