McGahan (surname)
Encyclopedia
MacGahan, and McGahan, are of Northern Irish surname
s. They are Anglicised forms of the Irish language
Mac Eacháin
, meaning "son of Eachán". The personal name
Eachán is a diminutive
of the personal name Eachaidh, which is based upon the Gaelic each, meaning "horse
".
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s. They are Anglicised forms of the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Mac Eacháin
Mac Eacháin (surname)
Mac Eacháin is an Irish language surname. It is the patronymic form of the personal name Eachán. The personal name Eachán is diminutive of the personal name Eachaidh, which is derived from each, meaning "horse". Anglicised forms of the surname include: Gahan; McCaughan; MacGaffin, and McGaffin;...
, meaning "son of Eachán". The personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
Eachán is a diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
of the personal name Eachaidh, which is based upon the Gaelic each, meaning "horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
".
People
- Andrew McGahanAndrew McGahanAndrew McGahan is a bestselling Australian novelist, best known for his cult first novel Praise, and for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel The White Earth.-Early life and education:...
- (born 1966) - Australian - novelist. - Hugh McGahanHugh McGahanHugh Joseph McGahan MBE is a former rugby league footballer and coach who represented New Zealand...
- (born 1961) - New Zealander - rugby league footballer. - Tony McGahanTony McGahanTony McGahan is an Australian rugby union coach and the current director of coaching of Munster.-Early career:Born in Queensland, Australia, a teacher by profession, a BE in Physical Education from Queensland University of Technology, he played Rugby Union with Queensland Schoolboys and Eastern...
, Australian - rugby union coach. - Barney McGahan (born 1928) - (died 2008) - American - Prominent Nebraskan Politician and Physical Therapist.