Show ContentsConaghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Conaghan surname comes from a proud and ancient past. The name Conaghan appeared originally in Gaelic as Ó Connachtain. 1

Early Origins of the Conaghan family

The surname Conaghan was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Conaghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conaghan research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Conaghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conaghan Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Conaghan were encountered in the archives: Cunigan, Conigan, Cunnigan, Conaghan, Conaughan, O'Cunigan, O'Conaghan, Connaghan, Connaughan, Kinneghan, Kinnegan and many more.

Early Notables of the Conaghan family

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


Conaghan 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 Conaghan family came to North America quite early:

Conaghan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Bernard, Hugh, James, and Michael Conaghan, Cornelius, Edward, Hugh, and William Conahan, Cormack and John Connaghan, Patrick Connahan, and Henry Coninghan, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1865
  • Bernard Conaghan, who arrived in Mississippi in 1889 2
Conaghan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Cassie Conaghan, aged 20, who landed in America from Donegal, Ireland, in 1904
  • Francis Conaghan, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Donegal, in 1906
  • Elizabeth Conaghan, aged 26, who settled in America from Donegal, Ireland, in 1907
  • Joseph Conaghan, aged 23, who landed in America from Donegal, Ireland, in 1907
  • Bridget Conaghan, aged 18, who landed in America from Ardava, Ireland, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Conaghan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Conaghan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Catherine Conaghan, aged 2 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Emigrant"Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in October 1847 3

Conaghan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Conaghan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Conaghan, aged 24, a mason, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Conaghan (post 1700) +

  • Hugh Conaghan (1926-2020), Irish Fianna Fáil politician and transport official
  • Michael Conaghan (b. 1944), Irish Labour Party politician
  • Mark Conaghan (b. 1975), Australian stage, television and film actor


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 19)


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