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Irish surname

McColgan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Colgan · 'son of Colga'

Woulfe (1923) gives MacColgan and Colgan as anglicised forms of Mac Colgan, 'son of Colga', more anciently Ó Colgan. He describes a sept of the Oirghialla who were chiefs of Ui MacCarthainn in Co. Derry until dispossessed by the Cinel Eoghain, and afterwards erenaghs of Donaghmore, in Inishowen; the hagiographer Father John Colgan was of this family. In 1890 all 16 McColgan birth entries in Ireland were in Ulster, principally Donegal and Londonderry.

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Coat of arms associated with the McColgan surname
Irish formMac Colgan
Meaning'son of Colga'
CountiesDerry, Donegal
Other spellings6

Origin of the McColgan name

Woulfe: 'more anciently Ó Colgan; the name of a sept of the Oirghialla, who were chiefs of Ui MacCarthainn, now the barony of Tirkeevan, Co. Derry, until dispossessed by the Cinel Eoghain, and afterwards erenaghs of Donaghmore, in Inishowen.'[1]

  1. 1212Four Masters: Gilchreest Mac Colgan slain in a battle between two O'Melaghlins.[6]
  2. 1645John Colgan publishes Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae at Louvain.[7][9]
  3. 1647John Colgan publishes Trias Thaumaturga, lives of Patrick, Columba and Bridget.[7][8]
  4. 1690'MAC COLGAN' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[5]
  5. 189016 McColgan birth entries, all in Ulster; principally Donegal and Londonderry.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. DerryChiefs of Ui MacCarthainn, 'now the barony of Tirkeevan, Co. Derry'; Londonderry a principal county in 1890.[1][3]
Co. DonegalFirst of the two counties where McColgan births were principally found in 1890.[3]

Notable people named McColgan

John Colgand. 1657?Franciscan hagiographer at the Irish college in Louvain; Woulfe says he was of the Mac Colgan family; born in Co. Donegal (Catholic Encyclopedia, Webb), a native of Ulster (DNB); death given as probably 1657 (Catholic Encyclopedia, DNB) or 1658 at Louvain (Webb).[1][7][8][9]

Other spellings

MacColgan · M'Collgan · Mac Colgan · Colgan · Collagan · Colligan[1]

The McColgan coat of arms

'MAC COLGAN' 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 McColgan is entitled to a coat of arms.[5]

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

McColgan crest gifts

Clan Maccolgan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap HN33 Maccolgan Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Maccolgan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Mccolgan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapWG48 Classic Cap - Mccolgan Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Mccolgan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Maccolgan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapLF12 Classic Cap - Maccolgan Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Maccolgan Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

McColgan surname: questions

What does the surname McColgan mean?

Woulfe gives McColgan as a form of Mac Colgan, 'son of Colga'.[1]

Where in Ireland is the McColgan name from?

Woulfe says the Mac Colgans were a sept of the Oirghialla, chiefs of Ui MacCarthainn in Co. Derry until dispossessed by the Cinel Eoghain, and afterwards erenaghs of Donaghmore, in Inishowen. In 1890 all 16 McColgan births in Ireland were in Ulster, principally in Donegal and Londonderry.[1][3]

Is McColgan the same name as Colgan?

Woulfe lists Colgan among the anglicised forms of Mac Colgan. He has a second entry, Ó Colgan, 'the name of an old family in Offaly, of the same stock as the O'Connors, O'Dempseys and O'Dunnes; also common in Thomond', whose forms also include Colgan, so not every Colgan belongs to the Derry sept. Woulfe cross-refers the two names: Mac Colgan 'more anciently Ó Colgan', Ó Colgan 'more anciently Mac Colgan'.[1][2]

Who was Father John Colgan?

A Franciscan of the Irish college at Louvain who published lives of the Irish saints: Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae (1645) and Trias Thaumaturga (1647). Woulfe says he was of the Mac Colgan family.[1][7][8]

Sources

  1. Mac Colgan — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-colgan.php
  2. Ó Colgan — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-colgan.php
  3. McColgan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mccolgan.php
  4. Colgan — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/303.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. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1212 (part 5) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text005.html
  7. John Colgan — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) (James MacCaffrey), Wikisource. en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/John_Colgan
  8. Colgan, John — Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900 (Henry Bradley), Wikisource. en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/...
  9. John Colgan — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/JohnColgan.php

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