Show ContentsMehan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Mehan originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Miadhachain," which is derived from the word miadhach, meaning honorable. 1

Early Origins of the Mehan family

The surname Mehan 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 Mehan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mehan research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Mehan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mehan 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 Mehan 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 Mehan family

More information is included under the topic Early Mehan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Mehan migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Mehan or a variant listed above, including:

Mehan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Mehan, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1837 3
  • Patrick Mehan, aged 23, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1840 3
  • Hugh Mehan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 3
Mehan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Joseph Mehan, who arrived in Arkansas in 1900 3

Mehan migration to Australia +

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

Mehan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Biddy Mehan, (Meehan), (b. 1839), aged 12, Irish house maid who was convicted in County Fermanagh, Ireland for 7 years for vagrancy, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1856 4


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackfriar


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