Show ContentsDoogan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Gaelic form of the Irish name Doogan was Ó Dubhaigan. The first portion of the name is the word dubh, which means black; the second portion is likely some obsolete Irish personal name.

Early Origins of the Doogan family

The surname Doogan was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where O'DuilAgin, O'Dugan, (or O'Deegan), chief of Muintir ConIochta, a district in the parish of Tomgraney, in the barony of Tullagh.

The family line is directly traceable to Fergus Mor (Fergus the Great). In turn his ancestry is associated with King Ir, brother of the equally famous Heremon. The name was first found near what is now the town of Fermoy, in the territory formerly known as Roche's Country. This territory encompassed the junction of the counties Cork, Tipperary and Waterford. In modern times, the surname is generally found in these three counties.

However, there was another O'Dugan sept in the territory called Ui Maine, also called Hy Many, which spans eastern county Galway and southern county Roscommon. This sept gave their name to the place called Ballyduggan, near Loughrea. 1

Early History of the Doogan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doogan research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1813, 1823, 1884 and 1896 are included under the topic Early Doogan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doogan Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Doogan are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family's history. The various spellings of Doogan included Dugan, Duggan, O'Duggan, Dougan, Douggan, Dewgan, Deugan and many more.

Early Notables of the Doogan family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Doogan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Doogan migration to the United States +

North America received thousands of Irish immigrants from the English-ruled Ireland during the 19th century. Once in the United States or what would become Canada, these immigrants quickly contributed to the ongoing settling and industrialization processes. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. An exhaustive examination of immigrant and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the surname of Doogan:

Doogan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Rose Doogan, who arrived in Virginia in 1769-1770 2
Doogan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Doogan, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
  • William Doogan, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1843 2

Canada Doogan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Doogan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thadeus Doogan, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Horatio" departing 18th July 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 3rd September 1847 but he died on board 3

Australia Doogan migration to Australia +

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

Doogan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Catherine Doogan, (Dugan), (b. 1820), aged 31, Irish country servant who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 15 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Miss Margaret Doogan, (b. 1830), aged 21, Irish country servant who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 15 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Honor Doogan, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Taymouth Castle" 5
  • Mary Doogan, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Taymouth Castle" 5
  • Bridget Doogan, aged 26, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Sea Park"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Doogan 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:

Doogan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Margaret Doogan, (b. 1855), aged 19, Irish settler from Galway travelling from London aboard the ship "Sussex" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th July 1874 6
  • Bridget Doogan, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1876
  • Mr. John Doogan, (b. 1863), aged 15, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Invercargill" arriving in New Zealand on 2nd October 1878, en-route to Ivercargill, South Island, New Zealand 7
  • Mr. James Doogan, (b. 1865), aged 13, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Invercargill" arriving in New Zealand on 2nd October 1878, en-route to Ivercargill, South Island, New Zealand 7
  • Miss Anne Doogan, (b. 1846), aged 32, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Invercargill" arriving in New Zealand on 2nd October 1878, en-route to Ivercargill, South Island, New Zealand 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Doogan (post 1700) +

  • Bailey Doogan (1941-2022), née Margaret Bailey, an American artist best known for her large-scale, feminist paintings and drawings


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  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. 73)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackfriar
  5. South Australian Register Thursday 4th May 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Taymouth Castle 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/taymouthcastle1854.shtml
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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