Gavigan is an Irish surname that claims its origins with different local
chieftain
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...
s depending upon the research performed.
Etymology
* From
County Mayo, Ireland, a local Irish chieftain called "Gabhadhan", the old Gaelic might have been something like, when the grammatical
séimhiú is represented by the letter "h", "Ó Gáibhtheacháin".
This might be translated to signify "the Anxious One".
* From "Mag Eachagáin" (son of Eachagán, in turn a diminutive of the personal name Eachadh).
* From the southern
O'Neill or (as written in Irish)
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...
clan of
Geoghegan,
"Gabhachan" from north
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...
and
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
, cattle grazers on pasture lands. "Gabha" might signify or mean a blacksmith.
The motto upon the Gavigan family coat of arms may be translated to mean ''Always ready to serve my king and country''.
Notable people with the name
*
Joseph A. Gavagan (1892–1968), American politician
*
Martin Gavigan
Martin Gavigan is an old Gaelic footballer who played as a defender for Ard an Rátha, the Donegal county team and the Ireland international rules football team.
He was a member of Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winnin ...
, Irish former Gaelic footballer
*
Michelle Gavagan
Miss Philippines Earth 2011 was the 11th edition of the Miss Philippines Earth pageant. It was held on June 5, 2011 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines with 10 finalists competed in the finale and was telecast on ABS-CBN at 10:00 pm a ...
(born 1990), environmentalist and beauty queen from the Philippines
*
Peter Gavigan
Peter Gavigan (11 December 1897 – 2 March 1977) was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Clapton Orient and Fulham as an outside right.
After three seasons in Scottish Division One with St Johnstone, two years at Dun ...
(1897–1977), Scottish footballer
*
Annette McGavigan
Annette McGavigan (1 June 1957 – 6 September 1971) was a 14-year-old girl fatally wounded by a gunshot in crossfire between British soldiers and the IRA on 6 September 1971. The bullet which killed her was fired by a British soldier.
After th ...
(1957–1971), casualty of the Troubles
*
Ruth McGavigan
Ruth McGavigan (born 25 December 1976) is a Scottish mountain biker.
She represented Scotland at the 2006 Commonwealth Games mountain bike event. She came second in the senior women category of the 2006 British Mountain Biking National Champion ...
(born 1976), Scottish mountain biker
*
Jim Gaffigan
James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...
(born 1966), American comedian
References
{{Reflist
External links
About the name O'Neill*
Southern Uí Néill
The Southern Uí Néill ( ga, Uí Néill an Deiscirt, IPA: iːˈnʲeːl̪ʲˈanˠˈdʲɛʃcəɾˠtʲ were that branch of the Uí Néill dynasty that invaded and settled in the Kingdom of Mide and its associated kingdoms.
In the initial decades t ...
Surnames
Surnames of Irish origin
Irish families
