The surname Meaghan originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Miadhachain," which is derived from the word miadhach, meaning honorable.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York, Harper & Row, 1956. PrintEarly Origins of the Meaghan family
The surname Meaghan was first found in County
Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern
Ireland, in
Leinster province, Originally, "Ó Miadhacháin, this is the name of at least two distinct septs; it is now equally distributed throughout the four provinces."
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Early History of the Meaghan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meaghan research.
Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 117 and 1172 are included under the topic Early Meaghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Meaghan Spelling Variations
Before widespread literacy came to Ireland, a name was often recorded under several different variations during the life of its bearer. Accordingly, numerous
spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Meaghan family name. Variations found include Meighan, Meehan, Meegin, Meeghen, Meegan, Meakin, Meakins, Mekins, Mehan, Mehen, Mehigan, Mehegan, O'Meighan, O'Meehan and many more.
Early Notables of the Meaghan family (pre 1700)
Another 24 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Meaghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Meaghan family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Meaghan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Ellen Meaghan, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Maria" from Cork, Ireland
Meaghan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Judith Meaghan, aged 38, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Surge" [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SURGE 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/surge1852.shtml - Judy Meaghan, aged 24, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Sea Park"
Contemporary Notables of the name Meaghan (post 1700)
- James J. Meaghan, American politician, Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1960 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html