Show ContentsMcGough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of the McGough surname is Mag Eochagain, a patronymic derived from the personal name Eochaidh.

Early Origins of the McGough family

The surname McGough was first found in the county of Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, in the barony of Moycashel at Kilbeggan where they held a family seat from ancient times. Traditionally, the McGoughs are said to descend from Fiacha, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Early History of the McGough family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGough research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1186, 1291, 1580, 1600, 1603, 1650, 1689, 1702, 1749, 1763 and 1800 are included under the topic Early McGough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGough Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name McGough revealed many variations, including Geoghegan, Gagahan, Gahagan, Gahaghan, Gaghan, Gegan, MacGeoghegan, Geohan and many more.

Early Notables of the McGough family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Conal MacGeoghegan (circa 1580-1650) Chief of the sept MacGeoghegan, historian who translated the Annals of Clonmacnoise; James MacGeoghegan (1702-1763) of Westmeath, an ordained priest in Paris, who wrote a "History of Ireland;" and Edward Geoghegan of Dublin was one of the most eminent surgeons of his time (early 1800s).Usher Gagahan (d. 1749), was an Irish classical scholar, belonged to a good family of Westmeath, Ireland; was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, but took...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGough Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGough Ranking

In the United States, the name McGough is the 4,927th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


McGough migration to the United States +

The 18th century saw the slow yet steady emigration of Irish families to British North America and the United States. Those early Irish settlers that left their homeland were typically moderately well off: they were enticed by the promise of a sizable plot of land. However, by the 1840s, this pattern of immigration was gone: immigrants to North America were seeking refuge from the starvation and disease that the Great Potato Famine of that decade brought. The great numbers of Irish that arrived to the United States and the soon to be Canada were instrumental in their quick development as powerful industrial nations. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists uncovered many early immigrants bearing the name McGough:

McGough Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick McGough, aged 28, who landed in Rhode Island in 1812 2
  • John McGough, who arrived in New York in 1826 2
  • Bernard McGough, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 2

McGough migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGough Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Margaret McGough, aged 45 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Unicorn" departing from the port of Londonderry, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 3
  • Mr. David McGough who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wellington" departing 29th July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th September 1847 but he died on board 4

McGough migration to Australia +

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

McGough Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William McGough, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nabob"
  • Mr. John McGough, British Convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 9 years, transported aboard the "Corona" on 13th October 1866, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 5
  • Mr. Patsey McGough, English convict who was convicted in Manchester, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia 6

Contemporary Notables of the name McGough (post 1700) +

  • John F. McGough, American football player and coach
  • Thomas McGough, American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Venango County, 1897-98 7
  • Peter McGough, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Portage, Pennsylvania, 1885-89 7
  • Kent B. McGough, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1964, 1972 7
  • George C. McGough, American politician, Mayor of Largo, Florida, 1982-92 7
  • Carrie McGough, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1944 7
  • David Christopher McGough (1944-2023), English Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham (2005–2020)
  • John McGough (1876-1967), Scottish runner who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics
  • Mark McGough (b. 1984), Australian rules football player
  • Phillip McGough, English television actor
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Titanic
  • Mr. James R. McGough, aged 25, English Able Seaman from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 9 8
  • Mr. James Robert McGough, aged 35, American First Class passenger from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 7 8


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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. 44)
  4. 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. 87)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/corona
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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