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![Show Contents]() Megan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland
The surname Megan originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Miadhachain," which is derived from the word miadhach, meaning honorable. 1 Early Origins of the Megan familyThe surname Megan 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 Early History of the Megan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Megan research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Megan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Megan Spelling VariationsA name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Megan include Meighan, Meehan, Meegin, Meeghen, Meegan, Meakin, Meakins, Mekins, Mehan, Mehen, Mehigan, Mehegan, O'Meighan, O'Meehan and many more. Early Notables of the Megan familyMore information is included under the topic Early Megan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Megan migration to the United States | + |
In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Megan family came to North America quite early:
Megan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- James Megan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Megan (post 1700) | + |
- Kelly Megan O'Dwyer (b. 1977), Australian politician
- Katherine Megan McArthur (b. 1971), NASA Astronaut with almost 13 days in space 4
- Megan Alderete (b. 1984), American professional racing cyclist who rides for Hagens Berman–Supermint
- Megan Terry (1932-2023), born Marguerite Duffy, an American Obie Award winning playwright, screenwriter, and theatre artist, founding member of The Open Theater, awarded Dramatists Guild Award (1983) and College of Fellows of the American Theatre (1994)
- Megan Bonnell, Canadian folk musician, born in Caledon, Ontario
- Megan McNerney, American Leukemia genetics researcher with the University of Chicago
- Megan Nick (b. 1996), American freestyle skier specializing in aerials, at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, she won the bronze medal in aerials
- Megan M. McClung (1972-2006), American soldier who was the first female United States Marine Corps officer killed in combat during the Iraq War
- Megan Gillespie Rice S.H.C.J. (1930-2021), American nuclear disarmament activist, Catholic nun, and former missionary
- Megan Wraight (1961-2020), New Zealand landscape architect, founding principal of Wraight + Associates Limited
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- 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)
- NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Katherine McArthur. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mcarthur-km.html
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Megan migration to the United States 
