MEAGHER
The surname Meagher is a surname of Gaelic origin, belonging to the Celtic peoples of the British Isles, and more specifically to the island that constitutes the Republic of Ireland. It is derived from the medieval Gaelic Ó Meachair, which is literally “son of Meachair.” Meachair in turn is believed to come from the word meachar, meaning “hospitable” or “generous.”
Other linguistic accounts locate the root in the ancient Gaelic noun míadhachar, which connotes kindness, honour and majesty. Consequently the surname has long been associated with the attributes of hospitality and honour.
Historically the surname has been concentrated in the province of Munster, where it is found most frequently in County Tipperary and County Waterford. Modern census data show that more than fifty per cent of the roughly eight thousand people who bear the name in Ireland today reside in County Tipperary. The surname spread beyond the island following the mass emigration of the nineteenth century, and it is now comparatively common in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Over the centuries the name has been recorded in a number of spellings, including Maher, Meagher, Meagar, O’Meagher, O’Mahar and Mauger. The particle O’ normally indicates “descendant of” in Irish surnames.
The earliest recorded spelling that has survived is that of Edmund Meagher, who married Ellan Hackett on 13 November 1656 in Dublin, a transaction that took place during the period known as The Great Protector. The name has also been borne by men of historic reputation, such as Captain John Meagher who served in the army of the exiled King James XI against William of Orange and was executed for treason in 1690, and by Thomas Maher, baptised at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick on 23 December 1734, as well as by Gilbert Maher, whose birth was recorded in Tipperary in 1740. The family is represented in heraldry by a blue shield bearing two gold lions rampant combatant supporting a silver sword; the crest is a silver falcon belled in gold.
Among the most celebrated individuals bearing the surname is Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelander movement in the Rebellion of 1848 who later served as acting governor of the Montana Territory. Other notable bearers are associated with political, military and cultural pursuits, but the surname is predominantly noted for its historical significance within Ireland and the diaspora.
Typical given names associated with the Meagher surname
Male
- Anthony
- Brian
- Christopher
- David
- Francis
- James
- John
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Thomas
Female
- Ann
- Caroline
- Elizabeth
- Jennifer
- Joanne
- Judith
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Meagher in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 634 people named Meagher in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around ten in a million people in Britain are named Meagher.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
