McMahan
An Anglicized Irish surname usually seen as a variant of McMahon, meaning “son of Mahon.”
The #2,522 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,488 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McMahan is generally treated as a spelling variant of McMahon, from Gaelic Mac Mathghamhna, meaning “son of Mathghamhain.” The personal name Mathghamhain is usually explained as “bear” or “bear-like,” with the first element linked to old Irish words for a bear. In English spelling, the name was often simplified in several ways, producing forms such as McMahan, McMahon, and related variants.
History
The surviving excerpt groups McMahan with McMahon and other Mc- surnames, which reflects the way Irish names were often recorded in multiple spellings by English-language scribes. In modern usage, McMahan and McMahon are closely related and may represent the same Irish family name rendered differently in records. The form McMahan is especially common in North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older records, McMahan and McMahon can sometimes appear side by side as if they were separate names, even when they were really just spelling variants of the same Gaelic surname.
From the historical record
“McLouGHLiN, McLear, McLellan and McLelland, McLennan, McLeod, McLoud, McLernon, McLerty, McMacon, McMahan and McMahon ; McManaman, McMenaman, and McMineman ; McMann, McManus, McMath, McMenemy, McMillen, McMinnis ; Mc- Morrow, McMorry, and McMurry ; McMullen, McMuRPHY, McNabb, McNally, ]McNamara, Mc- Namee…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)