McGuigan
An Irish surname, probably a branch-name from Mac Eochagáin / MacGeoghegan, meaning “son of Eochagán.”
The #8,975 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 84,681 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McGuigan is an Anglicized Irish surname, usually treated as a form related to Mac Geoghegan and its many spellings. The underlying Gaelic name is generally taken from Mac Eochagán, meaning “son of Eochagán,” a personal name built from Eochaidh, an old Irish name associated with “horse.” The surname therefore belongs to the Irish patronymic tradition, where family names are formed from an ancestor’s given name.
History
The name is associated especially with Ireland, and the historical spellings cluster around Ulster and related Irish lineages. In older sources, McGuigan is often listed alongside MacGeoghegan and close variants such as MacGoogan and Maguigan, showing how fluid the spelling could be before standardization. The modern form is now established in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora, especially in the United States and Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname references often group McGuigan with a whole cluster of near-identical spellings, which is a good reminder that Irish surnames were often recorded very inconsistently before modern spelling stabilized.
From the historical record
“triAs eocAgAin, Mageoghegan, MacGeoghegan, MacGoogan, MacGuigan, MacGuiggan, Maguigan, Geoghegan, Geha- gan, Gehegan, Geogan, Gea- gan, Geghan, Gegan, Googan, Gogan, etc.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames