HAGAN
The surname Hagan has its roots in the Gaelic traditions of the Irish people, originating in the north of Ireland. According to linguistic evidence, it derives from the ancient Irish name Ó hÁgáin, which literally means "descendant of Ágán." The personal name Ágán is itself taken from the word ág, meaning "fire," a motif found in other Celtic personal names.
Historically the name appears in a variety of spellings, including O'Hagan, Hagen, Haggan, Hagon, Hegan and Aiken. The earliest documented spelling dates to around the year 1100 and belongs to Ivor O'Hagan, tutor of St. Malachy, as recorded in the medieval annals of County Armagh. This places the surname firmly within the ancient Gaelic world of the High Kings of Ireland.
The principal concentration of the family was in County Tyrone in the province of Ulster. Here the chief of the O'Hagan sept held the ancient and ceremonial right of inaugurating the head of the O'Neills as king or overlord of Ulster. This role indicates the high status of the family within the Gaelic hierarchy during the medieval period.
In the Middle Ages members of the O'Hagan sept also held significant landholdings in the neighbouring counties of Monaghan and Armagh. Two settlements named Ballyagan, one in County Derry and the other in Antrim, bear the family name and attest to a wider territorial presence across Ulster. The presence of the name in a number of local toponyms demonstrates the influence of the family in the region.
Several distinguished bearers of the surname are recorded in more recent centuries. Thomas O'Hagan (1812–1885) served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1868 to 1874 and again from 1880 to 1881, and was elevated to the peerage in 1870. John O'Hagan (1822–1890) was a judge and a patriotic song‑writer whose work contributed to the cultural life of the time. Of particular note in the economic history of the clan, Mark O'Hagan emigrated as part of the Great Famine exodus, arriving in New York on the ship titled Rochester on 18 January 1846.
In modern times the surname is still predominantly found in Ireland, particularly within the counties of Tyrone, Monaghan and Armagh. The legacy of the name as a marker of Gaelic heritage continues to be recognised both by scholars of Irish history and by those bearing the name today.
Typical given names associated with the Hagan surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Julie
- Laura
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Natalie
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Hagon
- Hagans
- Haga
- Hagain
- Hagana
- Hacken
- Hackin
- Hacon
- Hagag
- Hagai
- Hagam
- Hagar
- Hagen
- Hagga
- Haggan
- Haggans
- Haggen
- Haggin
- Haggon
- Hagham
- Haghan
- Haghani
- Hagman
- Hagun
- Haigan
- Haikin
- Haikni
- Hakan
- Haken
- Hakin
- Hakon
- Haqani
- Haqqani
- Haquani
- Haugan
- Haugen
- Haughan
- Haughen
- Haughian
- Haughin
- Haukin
- Hawckin
- Hawken
- Hawkin
- Haycon
- Haygan
- Haykin
- Heagan
- Heaken
- Heakin
- Hecken
- Hecon
- Heegan
- Heekin
- Hegan
- Heggan
- Heggans
- Heggen
- Heggin
- Hekin
- Heogan
- Heughan
- Hewkin
- Heykin
- Hicken
- Hickin
- Hickon
- Higan
- Higgan
- Higgen
- Higgin
- Higgina
- Higgine
- Higgon
- Highan
- Higon
- Hikin
- Hoaken
- Hocken
- Hockin
- Hockine
- Hogan
- Hoggan
- Hoggen
- Hoggin
- Hoggon
- Hoghan
- Hoghen
- Hogon
- Hogun
- Hogune
- Hokan
- Hoken
- Hokin
- Hooghan
- Hooken
- Hookin
- Houghan
- Houghin
- Howkin
- Hucken
- Huckin
- Hugan
- Huggan
- Huggen
- Huggin
- Huggon
- Hughan
- Hughen
- Hugon
- Hukin
- Hukon
- Hykin
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Hagan in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 4,053 people named Hagan in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,306th most common surname in Britain. Around 62 in a million people in Britain are named Hagan.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Hagan
- Holly Hagan - Reality television personality
- John Hagan - Master Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy, 1992-1998
- Jimmy Hagan - Football player; Football manager (1918 to 1998)
- Jim Hagan - Northern Irish football player
- Helen Eugenia Hagan - Composer (1893 to 1964)
- Alfie Hagan - Football player (1895 to 1)
- David Hagan -
- James Hagan - Confederate States Army colonel (1822 to 1901)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.