Eógan

or is an early Irish male name, which also has the hypocoristic and diminutive forms , , and . In more modern forms of Irish it is written as or (/'oːəun/).

In Scottish Gaelic the name is Eòghann or Eòghan. All of the above are often anglicised as Ewen or, less often, Owen. The name in both Goidelic languages is generally considered a derivative of the Greek and Latin name , meaning "noble born".''Surnames of the United Kingdom'' (1912), reprinted for Clearfield Company, INC by Genealogical Publishing Co. INC, Baltimore 1995, 1996. Cormic gives this origin for Eogan (one MS, Eogen); and Zimmer considers Owen to be borrowed from Latin , as noted by MacBain, p. 400. The mediaeval Latinization of Owen as led to a belief that the etymology was the Welsh and Breton , "lamb". With much stronger reason it was at one time considered that the name represented Irish = Gael. . Old Irish Welsh , young ‘youth’. ''Surnames of the United Kingdom'' cites Tomás Ua Concheanainn, (p. 126), that " is a diminutive of , = Owain, Eugene"

Etymology

The derives ''Eógan'' from the Primitive Irish ''*'', while others such as (, in 1903) have stated that equates to and Eugene; Dr Rachel Bromwich has commented that is a derivation of the Latin ,As cited by T.J. Morgan in ''Welsh Surnames'', page 172 making these names long-attested in Gaelic areas, yet still based on loan-words.Morgan, T.J. and Morgan, Prys, ''Welsh Surnames'', University of Wales, 1985, ''Owain (Owen, Bowen, Ednowain)''. According to T.J. Morgan in ''Welsh Surnames'' (page 172/173) Owen is a derivation of the Latin > Old Welsh , ... 'variously written in Middle Welsh as . LL gives the names . The corresponding form in Irish is . Additionally, another Latinized variation of the name Owen is in certain parish registers.” Morgan notes that there are less likely alternative explanations and agrees with Dr Rachel Bromwich that Welsh “is normally latinized as Eugenius," and "both the Welsh and Irish forms are Latin derivatives".

Eoghan has also been translated into English as "well born", in an example c. 1923, due to this Latin derivation; but with the note that in common usage it is usually anglicised to " Eugene". The name corresponds to the Welsh , often spelt in English; as well to Ewen, Ewan and Euan. The most likely and widely accepted origin of the Old Welsh is, like the Old Irish also from Latin .

List of people

Celtic nobility

* , king of Fernmag in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology
* , king of
* , son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, eponymous founder of the and
* , eponymous ancestor of the
* of Ardstraw (6th century), Irish saint
* (died 839), king of Fortriu
* of Argyll () (died in or after 1268)
* , harper and a servant of the 9th Earl of Kildare
* , sometimes known as
* (fl. 934), King of the Cumbrians
* (died 1015), King of the Cumbrians
* (), King of the Cumbrians

Recent times

* Eoghan Corry, Irish journalist and historian
* Eoghan Fitzsimons, former Attorney General of Ireland
* Eoghan Harris, Irish politician
* Eoghan Hickey, rugby player
* Eoghan McDermott (MacDiarmada), tv broadcaster
* Eoghan Quigg, Singer
Eoghan Toner, On the wall in STATS

See also

* Eòghann and Eòghan at List of Scottish Gaelic given names
* Egan, Eoin, Euan, Evan, Ewan, Ewen, Ewin, Ewing
*
** List of rulers of
*
* McEwan ()
* MacEwen, Clan MacEwen
* McCown ()
* Clan MacCowan
* Clan Ewing
* Clan Ewen of Otter
* Eóganachta
* Irish name

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eogan
Irish-language masculine given names