Mahon
An Irish surname usually explained as coming from a Gaelic word for “bear,” and often linked to old Munster families.
The #3,749 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,703 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is generally treated as Irish in origin, from Gaelic forms such as Mac Mathghamhna, meaning “son of the bear.” Some older sources simplify this to Mahon as “bear” itself, but the fuller family-name form points to a patronymic origin. The root word mathghamhan is the Irish Gaelic term for a bear.
History
Historical surname books connect Mahon with old Munster families, especially the Mac Mahons and related lines in southern Ireland. Later spellings sometimes dropped the prefix Mac or Ó, leaving Mahon as a shortened surname. The name also appears in several Anglicized Irish forms such as Mahony and MacMahon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several 19th-century surname dictionaries gloss Mahon simply as “bear,” which is a good example of how old etymologies often compress a fuller Gaelic family name.
From the historical record
“Fair, Handsome [Ir. and Gael. meachair\ MAHON I (Celt.) the Bear [Ir. and Gael. MAHONE J tnathghamhuin] MAH8Nr}f°'-°''^^'^''"«y''i-^- MAIDMAN (Eng.) i Meadow-Man lO.E.mckd mead(ow + mantt] 2 confused with the succeeding name. MAIDMENT (Teut.) Power - Protection”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)