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Irish surname

Gahan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Gaoithín · 'descendant of Gaoithín' (diminutive of gaoth, wind, a 'pet' form probably of Maolghaoithe, chief of the wind)

Woulfe (1923) lists Gahan under several different Irish names. For Wexford he names Ó Gaoithín: a Leinster family, formerly chiefs of Siol Elaigh (now the barony of Shillelagh, Co. Wicklow), 'still numerous in the neighbouring county of Wexford, where the name is anglicised Gahan'. In 1890, 10 of Ireland's 11 Gahan birth entries were in Leinster, principally in Wexford.

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Coat of arms associated with the Gahan surname
Irish formÓ Gaoithín
Meaning'descendant of Gaoithín' (diminutive of gaoth, wind, a 'pet' form probably of Maolghaoithe, chief of the wind)
CountiesWexford, Wicklow, Mayo
Other spellings3

Origin of the Gahan name

Woulfe: Ó Gaoithín, (1) a Leinster family 'formerly chiefs of Siol Elaigh, now the barony of Shillelagh, in the south-west of Co. Wicklow', still numerous in Wexford, 'where the name is anglicised Gahan'; (2) a Connacht family. He also prints Gahan under Ó Gáibhtheacháin/Ó Gácháin (Mayo), Mac Gaoithín (Ulster), Mag Eacháin and Mag Gathan.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

  1. 1730William Gahan, later an Augustinian priest and author, born in Dublin.[9]
  2. 1802At the assizes at Trim, August 1802, William Gahan is sentenced to a week for contempt, then discharged by the court.[9]
  3. 189011 Gahan birth entries in Ireland (10 in Leinster); principally Wexford.[7]

Where in Ireland

Co. WexfordWoulfe: Ó Gaoithín 'anglicised Gahan' there; the principal Gahan county in 1890.[1][7]
Co. WicklowÓ Gaoithín were formerly chiefs of Siol Elaigh, now the barony of Shillelagh.[1]
Co. MayoÓ Gácháin, which Woulfe anglicises Gaughan, Gahan, is 'a common contraction, in Co. Mayo'.[3]

Notable people named Gahan

William Gahan1730–1804Dublin Augustinian, 'ecclesiastic and author' (DNB), 'of a Leinster sept, the original name of which was O'Gaoithin, anglicised Gahan'.[9]

Other spellings

O Gahan · Geehan · MacGahan[1]

The Gahan coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Gahan surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Gahan crest gifts

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Gahan surname: questions

Is Gahan an Irish name?

Yes. Woulfe lists Gahan as an anglicised form of several Irish surnames, among them Ó Gaoithín, which he says is anglicised Gahan in Co. Wexford.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Gahan name from?

Woulfe places the Ó Gaoithín family at Shillelagh in south-west Co. Wicklow and says they are numerous in Wexford, where the name is anglicised Gahan. In 1890 Gahan births were found principally in Wexford.[1][7]

What does the surname Gahan mean?

For Ó Gaoithín, Woulfe gives 'descendant of Gaoithín', a diminutive of gaoth (wind), probably a 'pet' form of Maolghaoithe, 'chief of the wind'. Other Irish names behind Gahan have other meanings.[1]

Is Gahan the same name as Gaughan?

Woulfe prints both Gaughan and Gahan under Ó Gácháin, 'a common contraction, in Co. Mayo, of Ó Gáibhtheacháin', and under Mag Eacháin. He does not print Gaughan under Ó Gaoithín, the Wexford Gahan name.[1][2][3][5]

Sources

  1. Ó Gaoithín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-gaoithin.php
  2. Ó Gáibhtheacháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-gaibhtheachain.php
  3. Ó Gácháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-gachain.php
  4. Mac Gaoithín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-gaoithin.php
  5. Mag Eacháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/mag/mag-eachain.php
  6. Mag Gathan — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/mag/mag-gathan.php
  7. Gahan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/gahan.php
  8. Gahan — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), list 663, transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/663.php
  9. Gahan, William — Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Wikisource. en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/...

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).