MONGAN Family History

Recorded in many spellings including Mangan, Mangham, Mangam, Mangin, Mangum, Mangon, Mingame, Mongan, Mongain, Mongin, Mungan, Mungane, Mungin and others, this is an Irish medieval surname. It derives from the ancient and possibly pre 10th century Gaelic name O' Mongain meaning 'The male descendant of Mongan'. The latter was a nickname for the original chief of the clan, who presumably had a particularly luxurious or wild growth of hair. Many, perhaps the majority of Irish Gaelic surnames were nicknames for the original chief or leader, and this is a good example.