Show ContentsRagan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ragan family

The surname Ragan was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century.

Early History of the Ragan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ragan research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Ragan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ragan Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Ragan include Ragon, Ragen, Rakon, Ragan and others.

Early Notables of the Ragan family

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

Ragan Ranking

In the United States, the name Ragan is the 3,431st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1


United States Ragan migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ragan or a variant listed above:

Ragan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Ragan, a bonded passenger, who arrived in America in 1750
  • John Ragan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1798
Ragan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Eleanor Ragan, who arrived in Baltimore in 1825
  • James Ragan, aged 21, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 2
  • John Ragan, aged 31, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1852 2
  • Michael Ragan, who arrived in New York in 1853 2
  • Daniel Ragan, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1857 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Ragan migration to Australia +

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

Ragan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Ragan who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • Mr. James Ragan, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Miss Mary Ragan, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 11th February 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Henry Ragan, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Ragan Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century
  • "Miss Catherine Ragan, (b. 1809), aged 19, Irish servant from Cork who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the ""Competitor"" on 9th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia" 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Ragan (post 1700) +

  • Arthur Edgar "Rip" Ragan (1878-1953), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played one season with the Cincinnati Reds in 1903
  • Amanda Ragan (b. 1954), American politician, Member of the Iowa Senate (2002-)
  • Don Carlos Patrick Ragan (1885-1956), American Major League Baseball player
  • David William Ragan Jr. (b. 1935), American professional PGA golfer
  • Sam Ragan (1915-1996), American journalist, author, poet and champion of the arts
  • Philip E. Ragan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 9th District, 1952 8
  • Martin Ragan (b. 1899), American Democratic Party politician, Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Brooke County, 1965-67 8
  • John M. Ragan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 1888 8
  • Hugh Ragan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1912 8
  • Daniel T. Ragan, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Gaston County, 1858-59 8
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Ragan +

  • The Lineage of the Amos Ragan Family by Elizabeth H. Ragan.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land or Port Phillip, Australia in 1848 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1848
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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