Show ContentsCreghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Creghan has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Creghan is Ó Croidheagain, from the word "croidhe," which means "heart." 1

Early Origins of the Creghan family

The surname Creghan was first found in Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Creghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Creghan research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1616 is included under the topic Early Creghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creghan Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Creghan family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Cregan, Crean, O'Crean, O'Cryan, Creaghan, Creegan, Creahan, Crehan, Creane and many more.

Early Notables of the Creghan family

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


Australia Creghan migration to Australia +

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

Creghan Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Creghan, (b. 1769), aged 24, Irish landlord who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Boddingtons" on 15th February 1793, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1837 2


The Creghan 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: Cor mundum crea in me, Deus
Motto Translation: Create in me a clean heart, O God.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/boddingtons


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