Show ContentsMehent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish surname Mehent was originally Ó Miadhachain in Irish Gaelic, which is derived from the word "miadhach," meaning "honorable." 1

Early Origins of the Mehent family

The surname Mehent 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.

Early History of the Mehent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mehent research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mehent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mehent Spelling Variations

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 Mehent some of these variations included: O'Meehan, Meighan, MacMeehan, MacMeekin, MacMeekan,MacMehan, MacMehon and many more.

Early Notables of the Mehent family

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

Migration of the Mehent family

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 Mehent: Owen McMehan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1845; Juda and Felix McMean settled in Boston in 1768.


Contemporary Notables of the name Mehent (post 1700) +

  • Shaun Mehent, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Arizona, 2012 2


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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