Gaghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Gaghan has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Gaghan is Mag Eachain.

Early Origins of the Gaghan family

The surname Gaghan was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Gaghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaghan research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1641, 1730, 1747, 1761 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Gaghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaghan 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 Gaghan family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Gahan, Gaghan, Gagham, Getham, Gaham, Gahame and others.

Early Notables of the Gaghan family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was William Gahan (1730-1804), Irish ecclesiastic and author, born in Dublin in June 1730. He was of a Leinster sept, the original name of which was O'Gaoithin, anglicised Gahan. He was educated at Dublin, became a member of the Augustinian order there, and in 1747 entered the Catholic university of Louvain, where he studied for eleven...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gaghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaghan migration to Australia +

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

Gaghan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Gaghan, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Lady Ann"

The Gaghan 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: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.