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Irish surname

Mahon: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Mocháin (variant Ó Macháin); Ó Mathghamhna; Mac Mathghamhna · Ó Mocháin, 'descendant of Mochán' (a 'pet' form of some name commencing with moch-, early); Ó Mathghamhna and Mac Mathghamhna, from Mathghamhain (bear)

Woulfe (1923) lists Mahon as an anglicised form of several Irish surnames. He says the Ó Mocháin family of Cinel Ianna, still numerous in Co. Galway, 'generally anglicise the name Mahon'; he also gives Mahon among the forms of Ó Mathghamhna (whose forms include Mahony) and Mac Mathghamhna (whose forms include MacMahon). In 1890, Ireland's birth indexes held 87 entries for Mahon and its spelling varieties (85 spelled Mahon), chiefly in Dublin and Galway.

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Coat of arms associated with the Mahon surname
Irish formÓ Mocháin (variant Ó Macháin); Ó Mathghamhna; Mac Mathghamhna
MeaningÓ Mocháin, 'descendant of Mochán' (a 'pet' form of some name commencing with moch-, early); Ó Mathghamhna and Mac Mathghamhna, from Mathghamhain (bear)
CountiesGalway, Dublin, Sligo, Down
Other spellings4
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Origin of the Mahon name

Woulfe: Ó Mocháin was (1) a family of Cinel Ianna, in the diocese of Kilmacduagh, still numerous in Co. Galway, 'where they generally anglicise the name Mahon', and (2) an ecclesiastical family in Co. Sligo, erenaghs of Killaraght. An Ó Mathghamhna family of Ulidia survives in Co. Down and East Ulster 'disguised as Mahons and MacMahons'.[1][3]

  1. 11th and 12th centuriesAn Ó Mathghamhna family very powerful in Ulidia.[3]
  2. Early part of the 14th centuryGregory O Mochain is Archbishop of Tuam.[1]
  3. 1800Charles James Patrick Mahon ('The O'Gorman Mahon') born at Ennis, Co. Clare, 17 March.[6]
  4. 1830The O'Gorman Mahon elected MP for Clare; unseated on petition.[6]
  5. 189087 birth entries incl. varieties (85 as Mahon), chiefly Dublin and Galway.[5]
  6. 1891The O'Gorman Mahon dies in Chelsea, London, 15 June, still an MP.[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. GalwayÓ Mocháin of Cinel Ianna, still numerous there, generally anglicise the name Mahon; a principal Mahon county in 1890.[1][5]
Co. DublinFirst county named for Mahon births in 1890.[5]
Co. SligoÓ Mocháin ecclesiastical family were erenaghs of Killaraght, barony of Coolavin.[1]
Co. DownAn Ó Mathghamhna family of Ulidia is still extant here, 'disguised as Mahons and MacMahons'.[3]

Notable people named Mahon

Charles James Patrick Mahon, 'The O'Gorman Mahon'1800–1891Born at Ennis; MP for Clare, Ennis and Carlow; elected for Clare in 1879 as a supporter of Parnell.[6]

Other spellings

Maghan · Maughan · Mohan · Moughan[2]

The Mahon coat of arms

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

Mahon surname: questions

Is Mahon the same name as McMahon?

Not necessarily. Woulfe gives Mahon as a form of several Irish surnames. The Ó Mocháin family of Cinel Ianna, in Co. Galway, 'generally anglicise the name Mahon'. He also lists Mahon among the forms of Ó Mathghamhna and of Mac Mathghamhna (MacMahon), and says an Ulidia Ó Mathghamhna family is 'disguised as Mahons and MacMahons'.[1][3][4]

What does the surname Mahon mean?

It depends on the family. Ó Mocháin means 'descendant of Mochán', a pet form of a name beginning with moch-, early; Ó Mathghamhna and Mac Mathghamhna come from Mathghamhain, bear.[1][3][4]

Where in Ireland is the Mahon name from?

Woulfe places one Ó Mocháin family, of Cinel Ianna, in Co. Galway, where they 'generally anglicise the name Mahon'. In 1890 Mahon births were found chiefly in Dublin and Galway.[1][5]

How common was Mahon in Ireland?

Matheson counted 87 entries for Mahon, including spelling varieties (85 under the spelling Mahon), in the 1890 birth indexes: Leinster 40, Munster 3, Ulster 16, Connaught 28.[5]

Sources

  1. Ó Mocháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-mochain.php
  2. Ó Macháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-machain.php
  3. Ó Mathghamhna — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-mathghamhna.php
  4. Mac Mathghamhna — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macm/mac-mathghamhna.php
  5. Mahon — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mahon.php
  6. Mahon, Charles James Patrick — Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900 (vol. 35), transcribed, 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).