While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Meacher is O Meachair, derived from the word "michair," which means "hospitable" or "kindly."
The surname Meacher was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they traditionally belong to the barony of Ikerrin. The family has retained this area as their homestead as over 50% of them come from here. [1]
"The O'Meaghers were formerly powerful Chiefs possessing the Barony of Ikerrin, in County Tipperary, of which O'Meagher was Lord. The Meaghers or Mahers are principally found in County Tipperary at present." [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meacher research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1551, 1635 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Meacher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The spelling of one's surname was not as important as it is today. Names were recorded as they sounded and in many cases, one's surname changed with each listing. As a result, surnames often had many spelling variations. For Meacher some of these variations included: Maher, O'Meagher, Meagher, O'Maher, Mahir and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Meacher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Irish families fled the English-colonized Ireland in record numbers during the 19th century for North America. Many of those destitute families died from disease during, and even shortly after, the long journey. Although those that immigrated before the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s often were granted a tract of land, those that arrived later were generally accommodated in urban centers or in work camps. Those in the urban centers would labor in the manufacturing sector, whereas those in work camps would to build critical infrastructures such as bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Regardless of when these Irish immigrants came to North America, they were critical for the rapid development of the young nations of the United States and Canada. Early immigration and passenger lists have recorded many early immigrants bearing the name of Meacher: Daniel, Edward, James, John, Martin, Michael, Patrick, Robert, Timothy, William Maher, all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860; Charles, Edward, James, John, Mathew, Patrick, Thomas, Timothy and William Meagher, all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..