Dugan or Duggan ( ga, Uí Dhúgáin) is an Irish surname derived from

Ó Dubhagáinn Ó Dubhagáinn was the name of a bardic family from Baile Uí Dhubhagáin, in Uí Maine, (now Ballyduggan, Loughrea, County Galway). The family were not related to similarly named family of Dugan of Fermoy, County Cork. The name is now general ...

History

A family of the name Dugan had its territory near the modern town of Fermoy in north Cork, and were originally the ruling family of the

Fir Maighe Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

tribal group which gave its name to the town. They also claimed descent from Mug Ruith, the legendary magician of the

Fir Bolg In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg (also spelt Firbolg and Fir Bholg) are the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland. They are descended from the Muintir Nemid, an earlier group who abandoned Ireland and went to different parts of Europe. ...

. They ceded pre-eminence to the O'Keeffe family in the eleventh century, but remained powerful in the area. Along with the other Fir Maighe families they lost their power when the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

conquered the territory in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. By the 12th century, family names or surnames had become well established in Ireland in the lands of the Sogain where an illustrious Dugan family held prestige and power due to their descent from the druid Mog Rutih. Some historians believe that with the change over to Christianity, the druids carried on with their profession of "filí" or seers. These "filí" were socially very important and held in the same esteem as the king. They enjoyed many privileges and were exempt from military duties. They were the custodians of the oral tradition, which embraced genealogy and history. In Ireland, a man enjoyed his status, rights and privileges in virtue of his descent so that genealogical material was of high political consequence. Dynasties ruled kingdoms by virtue of descent from ancient royal lineages and their genealogy was proof of their legitimacy to rule. Strangely enough, there is no genealogical record available for the Dugans themselves, and Roderick O'Flaherty, the famous 17th century Galway scholar says in his " Ogygia" that no line of pedigree can be found in any of the authenticated Irish annals which is very strange as this family were professors of poetry and history. The Dugans had their homelands in Fohenagh, east Galway. There are a number of townland names in the area which bear testimony to this i.e. Ballydoogan (Dugan's town), Carterdoogan (Dugan's quarter) and Dundoogan (Dugan's Fort). Some twentieth-century historians and genealogists mistakenly give Ballydugan near Loughrea as the seat of the Dugans but this place has no connection whatsoever with the Dugan clan. This townland was originally known as Ballygardugan or O'Hrdaganstown, and with the passage of time the "gar" was dropped, leaving it Ballydugan. The most celebrated and best known member of the family is

Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin (died 1372) was an Irish Gaelic poet. Background Ó Dubhagáinn was among the first notable members of the bardic family Baile Uí Dhubhagáin (Ballyduggan), near Loughrea, County Galway. He was accorded the rank oll ...

who was author of: Tiallim timpeall na Fodla, a poem which is generally regarded as a description of pre-Norman Ireland, some two centuries earlier; Ata sund seanchus Ereand, a poem of 564 verses on the kings of Ireland down to the high king Roderick O'Connor; Rioghraidh Laigheamn clannchathaoir, a poem of 224 verses on the kings of Leinster; Teamhair na riogh raith Cormacc, a poem of 332 verses which gives an account of the battles and actions of Cormac Mac Airt; Bliadhain so salus a dath, a poem on the festivals of the year, and Faras Focaill luaidhtear libh, a poem of 292 verses, being a vocabulary of obsolete words. He is credited with the introduction of a didactic nature into this generic literature which is also evident in the Books of Uí Máine, Lecan and Ballymore. As Seán Mór held the distinction of ollamh or professor, it is logical to conclude that those later scribes were his students. He retired to the monastery of St.John the Baptist at Rinadoon in Roscommon in 1365 and died there in 1372. The O'Kellys of Uí Máine acquired much of their power and wealth in the 14th century and to their credit, many aspect of Gaelic learning such as genealogy, grammar, poetry, sagas, history and folklore thrived under their patronage. To Murtoogh O'Kelly, bishop of Clonfert and later archbishop of Tuam must go the credit of having produced the great genealogical study known as the

Book of Uí Máine A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many page (paper), pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bookbinding, bound together and protected by a book cover, cover. Th ...

. This work was due to his patronage rather than his scholarship, as he employed a staff of six scribes in its production. We do not know the names of these scribes, but it is almost certain that they were members of the Dugan family, as Roderick O'Flaherty refers to the Book of Uí Máine as " Leabhar Ó Dubhagáin" or "Dugan's book". So also John Lynch, another noted Galway 17th century scholar who wrote in both Gaelic and Latin, refers to it in his book "Cambronais Eversus" as "Liber Odubhegan and quotes from it on at least six occasions. The Sligo-born Dubhaltach Mac Firbhisigh, a contemporary of O'Flaherty and Lynch, used "Leabhar Ó Dubhagáin" as a source of material for his " Seancahs Síl Ir". This is fortunate, since four of the fourteen folios of the original text are now lost and the lacuna can be supplied only from Mac Firbhisigh's transcript. "The Annals of the Four Masters" record the death of Richard Ó Dubhagáin in 1379, John and Cormac in 1440. Donal Ó Dubhagáin is also recorded as having died in 1487. These people must be have been of some considerable importance for the annalist deemed it necessary to record their deaths. The O'Dugans continued to engage in their profession of "filí" and in 1750, Teigh O'Dugan compiled a pedigree of John O'Donnellan of Ballydonnellan. John O'Donovan in his book

The Tribes and Customs of Hy Many ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

refers to the old manuscripts of Teige O'Dugan, "an eminent historian of about 90 years ago". This would coincide with the aforementioned Teig. It is most likely that Teige was the last if the filí of the old order. Murchadh Riabhach O'Cuindlis, the scribe who compiled the massive text of the Leabhar breac (1408–11) and who was a native of Ballydacker near Athleague was more than likely of the same stock as the O'Dugans.

Early modern

The

Book of Survey and Distribution A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arra ...

for the year 1641 records the transfer of land at Ballydoogane in the parish of Fohenagh, barony of Kilconnell, from Teigh O'Doogane to Dennis O'Doogan. This shows that the O'Duggans still held on to land in their hereditary "tuagh" or country into the seventeenth century. According to Simmington's " Transplantations to Connacht", they lost their lands during the Cromwellian confiscations but in 1658, the commissioners in Loughrea regranted 75 acres to Teigh O'Doogane in the parish of Ahascragh.

Griffith's Valuation Griffith's Valuation was a boundary and land valuation survey of Ireland completed in 1868. Griffith's background Richard John Griffith started to value land in Scotland, where he spent two years in 1806-1807 valuing terrain through the examinati ...

shows John O'Doogan in possession of 74 acres 1 rood and 15 perches in the townland of Killasolan, parish of Ahascragh. Michael Duggan is the present owner of this land.

Later modern O'Duggan

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the greatest concentration of the name Duggan is to be found in Claregalway and in the environs of Galway city. In the census of 1841, there were 43 families of Duggan listed for the townland of Móinteach (Claregalway) alone. Even after the devastation of the Great famine (1845–46), Griffith's Valuation of 1855 shows that there were still 29 Duggan households in Móinteach. There is no reliable record of how they came there but they certainly brought the tradition of the scribe and filí with them. A notable member of this Duggan clan was the Most. Rev. Patrick Duggan (1813–96), Bishop of Clonfert. Dr. Duggan was born in Cummer, Corofin, Tuam, on 10 November 1813. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1841 and appointed curate to the parish of Kilmoylan and Cummer. On the death of the parish priest Canon Cannavan, he became parish priest in charge of the parish until he was elevated to the Bishopric on 14 January 1872. The period of his priesthood in Cummer coincided with the Famine years and he was conspicuous among the clergy for his exertions in helping the sick and poor. He was a zealous supporter of the

Tenant Right Movement Tenant may refer to: Real estate *Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate *Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law *Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate *Tenant farmer *Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...

and Home Rule. In a by-election which was called for the county in 1872, Dr. Duggan, now Bishop of Clonfert, organised support for Captain J.P. Nolan who was favourably disposed towards tenants rights. Nolan was elected but lost his seat on the grounds of undue clerical influence and Dr. Duggan was brought to trial with others before the Court of Common Pleas, but the case collapsed and he was acquitted. He died on 15 August 1896 and was buried in the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, favoured by the republican nationalists. In modern day, the name is found throughout Ireland. In the north, Dugan, Dougan, and Doogan are common, a large portion descended from families originally in

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

. Doogan is common in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. Duggan is most prevalent in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

, and the majority of

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, and

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

Use of the surname in other countries

Dugan and Dougan are also common

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

names. Throughout other

English speaking countries The following is a list of English-speaking population by country, including information on both native speakers and second-language speakers. List * The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The total Engl ...

, Dugan and its many variants, including Duggan, Dougan, Doughan, Doogan, and Duggin are widespread. Dugan ranked 1,705 in surname listings in the 1990 United States Census. In Great Britain, Duggan ranked 1,950 in surname listings from the 1881 Census, then surged to 1,025 in surname listings from the 1996 Electoral roll.

Notable people

;Dugan *

Alan Dugan Alan Dugan (February 12, 1923 – September 3, 2003) was an American poet. His first volume ''Poems'' published in 1961 was a chosen by the Yale Series of Younger Poets and went on to win the National Book Award for Poetry and the Pulitzer Pr ...

(1923–2003), American poet whose work won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry * Brendan Dugan (born 1952), New Zealand country musician * Dennis Dugan (born 1946), American actor and film director *

Eileen C. Dugan Eileen C. Dugan (April 15, 1945 – November 8, 1996) was an American politician from New York. Life She was born on April 15, 1945, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City. the daughter of James Brian Dugan and Anne Dugan (Née Cunningham). ...

(1945–1996), New York politician * Fred Dugan (1933–2018), American football player with the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins *

Ianthe Jeanne Dugan Ianthe Jeanne Dugan is an American journalist. She was an investigative reporter for ''The Wall Street Journal'' for 18 years''.'' She earned the Gerald Loeb Award in 2000 for Deadline and/or Beat Writing for her article "The Rise of Day Tradin ...

, American journalist * James Dugan, various individuals *

Jeff Dugan Jeffery Stephen Dugan (born April 8, 1981) is a former American football tight end and fullback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in seventh round of 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Maryland. Before colleg ...

(born 1981), American football player with the Minnesota Vikings * Joanne Bechta Dugan (born 1958), American computer engineer *

Joe Dugan Joseph Anthony Dugan (May 12, 1897 – July 7, 1982), was an American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Jumping Joe", he was considered one of the best defensive third baseman, third basemen of his era. He played in Major League Baseball ...

(1897–1982), American baseball player from 1917–1931 *

Len Dugan Leonard Mark Dugan (February 19, 1910 – June 20, 1967) was an American football player who played four seasons in the National Football League with the New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He played college football at Wic ...

(1910–1967), American football player * Michael Dugan, several people *

Raymond Smith Dugan Raymond Smith Dugan (May 30, 1878 – August 31, 1940) was an American astronomer and discoverer of minor planets. His parents were Jeremiah Welby and Mary Evelyn Smith and he was born in Montague in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. His undergr ...

(1878–1940), American Astronomer, textbook author and professor at Princeton University *

Regina E. Dugan Regina E. Dugan (born March 19, 1963), is an American businesswoman, inventor, technology developer and government official. She was the first female director of the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where she served from July 20 ...

(born 1963), American inventor *

Robert Dugan Robert Dugan (born 10 August 1959) is an Australian former cricketer. He played five first-class matches for South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some ...

(born 1959), Australian cricketer *

Timothy Dugan Timothy G. Dugan (born October 9, 1953) is an American lawyer and jurist from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He served as a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Milwaukee-based 1st district from 2016 through 2023. Prior to the Court of A ...

(born 1953), American judge * Tom Dugan (actor, born 1889) (1889–1955), Irish film actor * Tom Dugan (actor, born 1961) (born 1961), American theater, film and television actor *

Winston Dugan, 1st Baron Dugan of Victoria Major General Winston Joseph Dugan, 1st Baron Dugan of Victoria, (3 September 1876 – 17 August 1951), known as Sir Winston Dugan between 1934 and 1949, was a British administrator and a career British Army officer. He served as Governor of ...

(1877–1951), British administrator who served as governor of South Australia ;Duggan * Alfred Duggan (1903–1964), author and historian * Elena Duggan (born 1983), Masterchef Australia winner *

Hubert Duggan Hubert John Duggan (24 July 1904 – 25 October 1943) was a British Army officer and politician, who was Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Acton from 1931 until his death. He was an opponent of appeasement and broke the whip on several ...

(1904–1943), soldier and Member of Parliament *

Jeremiah Duggan Jeremiah, Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning "Yahweh, Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major proph ...

(1980–2003), British student who died in disputed circumstances linked to the LaRouche movement * Jim Duggan (born 1954), American professional wrestler known as "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan * Laurence Duggan (1905-1948), American economist and government official; Soviet spy * Madeline Duggan (born 1994), British actress *

Mark Duggan Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

(1981–2011), British man shot and killed by police in Tottenham, London, England *

(born 1970), American economist *

Max Duggan Maxwell David Hesketh Duggan (born March 12, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the TCU Horned Frogs. He won the Davey O'Brien and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards in 2022 after leading TCU to the 2023 College Football Playoff National C ...

(born 2001), American football player *

Mike Duggan Michael Edward Duggan (born July 15, 1958) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician serving as the 75th mayor of Detroit, Michigan since 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Duggan previously served as the Wayne County Prosecutor ...

(born 1958), American mayor of Detroit, Michigan *

Meghan Duggan Meghan Duggan (born September 3, 1987) is an American former ice hockey forward and director of player development for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. She played for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 W ...

(born 1987), American women's ice hockey player *

Marion Duggan Marion Duggan (27 July 1884 – 24 June 1943), was an Irish suffragist and activist. She organised volunteers to report on all-male courts where they were trying crimes against women after hearing of judges leniency including excusing a man's " ...

(1884–), an Irish suffragist and activist. *

Patrick Duggan (bishop) Patrick Duggan (10 November 1813 – 15 August 1896) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Bishop of Clonfert from 1872 until his death. Duggan was born in Cummer, County Galway in 1813. He spent his early years on his mother' ...

(1813–1896), Irish Roman Catholic clergyman *

Patrick J. Duggan Patrick James Duggan Jr. (September 28, 1933 – March 18, 2020) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Education and career Born in Detroit, Michigan, Duggan received a Bach ...

(1933-2020), American judge * Robert Duggan (attorney) (1926–1974), Allegheny County District Attorney *

Robert W. Duggan Robert W. Duggan (born 1944) is an American billionaire, entrepreneur, philanthropist, biotech executive, health care executive, educator, and human rights activist. He is the former CEO of biopharmaceutical company Pharmacyclics and was previousl ...

(born 1944), American billionaire entrepreneur and investor *

Seánie Duggan Seán "Seánie" Duggan (2 November 1922 – 26 September 2013) was an Irish hurler who played as a goalkeeper for the Galway senior team. Born in Galway, Duggan arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty-one when he first linked u ...

(1922–2013), Irish hurler * Toni Duggan (born 1991), English association footballer ;Doogan *

Bailey Doogan Bailey Doogan (October 24, 1941 – July 4, 2022) was an American artist best known for her large-scale, feminist paintings and drawings that offer an unflinching look at the aging, female body and that tackle cultural issues like the equation ...

(born 1941), American artist * Dave Doogan (born 1973), Scottish politician *

Mike Doogan Mike Doogan is a Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 25th District since 2006. He is also the author of the Nik Kane Alaska mystery series, which includes ''Lost Angel, Capitol Offense,'' and ''Skeleton ...

(born 1948), American writer, journalist and politician ;Dougan * Bobby Dougan (1926–2010), Scottish footballer * Derek Dougan (1938–2007), Northern Ireland footballer * Rob Dougan (born 1969), Australian music composer ;Ó Dubhagáin *

(died 1372), Irish Gaelic poet

Fictional characters

* Duggan, a police detective Inspector as played by Tom Chadbon in the 1979

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

story

City of Death ''City of Death'' is the second serial of the seventeenth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor. It was produced by the BBC ...

, written by David Agnew – a pseudonym for the combined efforts of Douglas Adams and Graham Williams rewriting an original script by David Fisher * Dum Dum Dugan, an officer of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is one of the most experienced members of Nick Fury's team, known for his marksmanship with rifles and for his impressive physique. * Pat Dugan, a superhero from DC Comics, wears an armoured suit called S.T.R.I.P.E. Former member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and once the sidekick to the Star-Spangled Kid. Stepfather to

Courtney Whitmore Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore, known as Stargirl (often called Stars or Star), is a superhero created by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character's name, appearance, and personality were pat ...

References

External links

Dugan/Duggan/Dougan/Doogan Genealogy Homepage and Archive

{{surname, Dugan Surnames of Irish origin English-language surnames