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Irish surname

Hagan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó hÁgáin; Ó hAodhagáin · Ó hÁgáin: 'descendant of Ógán' (diminutive of óg, young); Ó hAodhagáin: 'descendant of Aodhagán' (diminutive of Aodh)

Woulfe (1923) lists Hagan under two Irish names. Ó hÁgáin was the name of a family of Cinel Eoghain seated at Tullaghoge in Co. Tyrone, 'where it was O'Hagan's privilege to inaugurate O'Neill'; Ó hAodhagáin was an Oriel family and a family of Ely-O'Carroll. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 63 Hagan entries, 49 of them returned in that spelling, principally in Antrim, Tyrone and Armagh.

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Coat of arms associated with the Hagan surname
Irish formÓ hÁgáin; Ó hAodhagáin
MeaningÓ hÁgáin: 'descendant of Ógán' (diminutive of óg, young); Ó hAodhagáin: 'descendant of Aodhagán' (diminutive of Aodh)
CountiesTyrone, Antrim, Armagh
Other spellings4

Origin of the Hagan name

Woulfe: (1) Ó hÁgáin, 'a northern variant of Ó hÓgáin': a family of Cinel Eoghain, chiefs of Cinel Fearghusa, seated at Tullaghoge, Co. Tyrone, 'where it was O'Hagan's privilege to inaugurate O'Neill', and another family, chiefs of Cinel Tighearnaigh; (2) Ó hAodhagáin, an Oriel family and a family of Ely-O'Carroll.[1][2]

  1. 1432Four Masters: Owen, son of Niall Oge O'Neill, inaugurated successor 'on Leac na Riogh, at Tullaghoge'.[8]
  2. 1690'O HAGAN' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[5]
  3. 1870Thomas O'Hagan created Baron O'Hagan of Tullahogue, co. Tyrone.[9]
  4. 189063 Hagan entries in Ireland, 49 of them returned in that spelling; principally Antrim, Tyrone, Armagh.[3][7]
  5. 1890Separately, 33 O'Hagan entries including spelling varieties (32 spelled O'Hagan); principally Armagh, Louth, Down.[4][7]

Where in Ireland

Co. TyroneÓ hÁgáin seated at Tullaghoge; a principal Hagan county in 1890.[1][3]
Co. AntrimFirst of the counties where Hagan births were principally found in 1890.[3]
Co. ArmaghPrincipal county for Hagan and O'Hagan births in 1890; Ó hAodhagáin lords of Ui Niallain in the 10th and 11th centuries.[3][4][2]

Notable people named Hagan

Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan1812–1885Born in Belfast; lord chancellor of Ireland; raised to the peerage in 1870 as Baron O'Hagan of Tullahogue.[9]
John O'Hagan1822–1890Born at Newry; judge and Young Ireland poet who wrote for the 'Nation'; translated 'The Song of Roland' (1883).[10]

Other spellings

O'Hagan · O Hagane · Haggan · Hagans[1][4][6]

The Hagan coat of arms

'O HAGAN' is printed in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as reproduced by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named Hagan is entitled to a coat of arms.[5]

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Hagan 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.

Hagan crest gifts

Clan Ohagan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapTH88 Classic Cap - Ohagan Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ohagan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Hagan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapYU71 Classic Cap - Hagan Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Hagan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Ohagan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap SP13 Ohagan Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Ohagan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00

Hagan surname: questions

Is Hagan the same name as O'Hagan?

Woulfe lists O'Hagan and Hagan together as anglicised forms of Ó hÁgáin. He also lists Hagan under a second Irish name, Ó hAodhagáin.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Hagan name from?

Woulfe places the Ó hÁgáin family at Tullaghoge in Co. Tyrone. In 1890 Hagan births were found chiefly in Antrim, Tyrone and Armagh, and O'Hagan births in Armagh, Louth and Down.[1][3][4]

What role did the O'Hagans have at Tullaghoge?

Woulfe says it was O'Hagan's privilege to inaugurate O'Neill at Tullaghoge. The Dictionary of National Biography says the O'Hagan and O'Cahan had the hereditary right to perform the ceremony.[1][9]

What does the surname Hagan mean?

Woulfe glosses Ó hÁgáin as 'descendant of Ógán', a diminutive of óg (young), and Ó hAodhagáin as 'descendant of Aodhagán', a diminutive of Aodh.[1][2]

Is Hagan the same as Hogan?

Woulfe gives them separate entries: Ó hÁgáin (O'Hagan, Hagan), seated at Tullaghoge in Co. Tyrone, and Ó hÓgáin (Hogan). He calls Ó hÁgáin 'a northern variant of Ó hÓgáin', and he lists both Hagan and Hogan among the anglicised forms of a third name, Ó hAodhagáin.[1][2]

Sources

  1. Ó hÁgáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hagain.php
  2. Ó hAodhagáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-haodhagain.php
  3. Hagan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/hagan.php
  4. O'Hagan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/ohagan.php
  5. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  6. O'Hagan — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), list 1664, transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1664.php
  7. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1432 (part 6) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text006.html
  9. O'Hagan, Thomas — Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Wikisource. en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/...
  10. O'Hagan, John — 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).