Show ContentsHegins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hegins

What does the name Hegins mean?

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Hegins is Ó hAgain, which was earlier rendered as Ó hOgain. Traditionally, the name means young. 1

Early Origins of the Hegins family

The surname Hegins was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Hegins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hegins research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1612 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Hegins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hegins Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Hegins dating from that time include Hagan, Hegan, Hagen, O'Hagan and others.

Early Notables of the Hegins family

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

Migration of the Hegins family

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Hegins or a variant listed above: Agnes Hagan settled in New England in 1802; Alexander, Bernard, Charles, Henry, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas and William Hagan all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


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