Meehan
An Irish surname, usually anglicized from Gaelic forms such as Ó Miadhacháin, with the sense of a descendant of a pleasant or honorable person.
The #2,464 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,104 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Meehan is generally treated as an Anglicized Irish surname. The usual explanation connects it with Gaelic forms like Ó Miadhacháin, built from a personal name based on miadhach, meaning something like 'honorable,' 'esteemed,' or 'pleasant.' In older surname collections, Meehan is also grouped with spellings such as Meeghan, Mehan, and Meegan, showing how variable the anglicized forms became. Some 19th-century writers also suggested other local or phonetic explanations, but the Irish derivation is the standard one.
History
The name is well established in Ireland, especially in records from Munster and other Irish regions where Anglicized Gaelic surnames became fixed in varying spellings. English-language records often render it as Meehan, Mehan, Meehan, or Meehin, reflecting local pronunciation and inconsistent spelling practices. By the early modern period, the surname appears in both Ireland and Irish diaspora communities, and it remains common enough to be familiar in North America and elsewhere.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname lists record Meehan beside a cluster of closely related spellings, which is a good reminder that one Irish family name could appear under several forms in the same parish or census book.
From the historical record
“Lat. myx-us, wick] MEEHAN, V. Mac Meehan. MEEK j Mild, Humble [M.E. meke, meoc, MEEKES O.N. »;j«A-r, soft, meek] Robert le Meke.— Ca/, Inq. P.M. MEEKI MEEKI”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)