The Irish surname McMechan was originally O Miadhachain in Irish Gaelic, which is derived from the word "miadhach," meaning "honorable."
The surname McMechan was first found in County Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMechan research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McMechan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname McMechan were found in the many archives researched. These included O'Meehan, Meighan, MacMeehan, MacMeekin, MacMeekan,MacMehan, MacMehon and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early McMechan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many Irish families boarded ships bound for North America in the middle of 19th century to escape the conditions of poverty and racial discrimination at that time. Although these immigrants often arrived in a destitute state, they went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. An inquiry into many immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants to North America bearing the McMechan family name: