Show ContentsO'Hagan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Hagan is Ó hAgain, which was earlier rendered as Ó hOgain. Traditionally, the name means young. 1

Early Origins of the O'Hagan family

The surname O'Hagan was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the O'Hagan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Hagan research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1612 and 1722 are included under the topic Early O'Hagan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Hagan Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name O'Hagan were encountered in the archives: Hagan, Hegan, Hagen, O'Hagan and others.

Early Notables of the O'Hagan family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • O'Hagan of the Battle of Kinsale who was attainted in 1612

O'Hagan Ranking

In the United States, the name O'Hagan is the 14,218th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States O'Hagan migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the O'Hagan name:

O'Hagan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Brid. O'Hagan, aged 16, who landed in America from Donegal, in 1893
O'Hagan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Bridget O'Hagan, aged 17, who landed in America from Tyrone, in 1900
  • Dannie O'Hagan, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Neury, Ireland, in 1906
  • Elizabeth O'Hagan, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from O'Meath, Ireland, in 1907
  • Bernard O'Hagan, aged 39, who immigrated to the United States, in 1909
  • Felix O'Hagan, aged 23, who landed in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand O'Hagan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

O'Hagan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. O'Hagan, Australian settler travelling from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia aboard the ship "Bolina" arriving in New Zealand in 1842 3
  • Mr. Charles O'Hagan, (b. 1846), aged 33, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 4
  • Mrs. Ellen O'Hagan, (b. 1851), aged 28, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 4
  • Miss Susannah O'Hagan, (b. 1875), aged 4, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 4
  • Miss Mary O'Hagan, (b. 1877), aged 2, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name O'Hagan (post 1700) +

  • Patrick Henry "Hal" O'Hagan (1869-1913), American Major League Baseball first baseman
  • Walter O'Hagan, American politician, American Labor Candidate for New York State Assembly from Cayuga County, 1940 5
  • Philip O'Hagan (b. 1869), American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Londonderry, 1908-20 5
  • Charles O'Hagan (1881-1931), former Irish professional association football forward and manager
  • John O'Hagan (1822-1890), Irish lawyer and writer
  • Martin O'Hagan (1950-2001), Irish investigative journalist assassinated as a result of his work
  • Thomas O'Hagan (1812-1885), Lord Chancellor of Ireland
  • John Francis "Jack" O'Hagan (1898-1987), Australian musician
  • Andrew O'Hagan (b. 1968), Scottish writer and novelist


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook