O'Gaughen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of O'Gaughen

What does the name O'Gaughen mean?

The Irish name O'Gaughen has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Gaughen is Mag Eachain.

Early Origins of the O'Gaughen family

The surname O'Gaughen was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the O'Gaughen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Gaughen research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1641, 1730, 1747, 1761 and 1804 are included under the topic Early O'Gaughen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Gaughen Spelling Variations

A 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 O'Gaughen include Gahan, Gaghan, Gagham, Getham, Gaham, Gahame and others.

Early Notables of the O'Gaughen family

William Gahan (1730-1804), Irish ecclesiastic and author, born in Dublin in June 1730. He was of a Leinster sept, the original name of which was O'Gaoithin, anglicised Gahan. He was educated at Dublin, became a member of the Augustinian order there, and in 1747 entered the Catholic university of Louvain, where he studied for eleven years and received the degree of doctor of divinity...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Gaughen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the O'Gaughen family

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name O'Gaughen to North America: John Gahan who landed in Pennsylvania in 1773; followed by James in 1842; another John in 1856; and Patrick in 1867; William Gahan settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1818..

The O'Gaughen Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.