Origins Available: Irish,
Welsh
There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. laingan originally appeared in Gaelic as O Longain, which is derived from the word long, which means tall.
Early Origins of the laingan family
The surname laingan was first found in Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of
Ulster, in Northern
Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren, where they held a
family seat from ancient times.
Early History of the laingan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our laingan research.
Another 228 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1689 and 1758 are included under the topic Early laingan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
laingan Spelling Variations
Within the archives researched, many different
spelling variations of the surname laingan were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Langan, Longan, Langen, Longen, O'Lonagain, Langhan, Langin, O'Langane, O'Longane, O'Langan and many more.
Early Notables of the laingan family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early laingan Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the laingan family to the New World and Oceana
The 19th century saw a great wave of
Irish families leaving
Ireland for the distant shores of North America and
Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute do to the policies of
England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American
War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the
Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left
Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United Sates and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the laingan family relocated to North American shores quite early: Laurence Langan, an 'enforced emigrant' from
Ireland, who arrived in America in 1743; John Longan, who sailed to Philadelphia in 1775; William Langen, who sailed to Pennsylvania in 1777.