O'Beaghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of O'Beaghan

The Irish name O'Beaghan comes from the Gaelic name Ó Beachain, possibly derived from the word "beach," which means "bee." It was also an Anglicized version of the Gaelic personal name Beathán, from "beatha," meaning "life." 1

Early Origins of the O'Beaghan family

Early History of the O'Beaghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Beaghan research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Beaghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Beaghan Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name O'Beaghan include Behan, Beehan, Beaghan, O'Behan, Beehan, Beagan, O'Beaghan, O'Behen, Behen and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Beaghan family

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

Migration of the O'Beaghan family

In the late 18th century, Irish families began emigrating to North America in the search of a plot of land to call their own. This pattern of emigration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s cause thousands of Irish to flee the death and disease that accompanied the disaster. Those that made it alive to the shores of the United States and British North America (later to become Canada) were, however, instrumental in the development of those two powerful nations. Many of these Irish immigrants proudly bore the name of O'Beaghan: James Behan who arrived in New York City in 1822; Henry Behan settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1854; Michael Beehan settled in Philadelphia in 1868.