Surname McCaughern - Meaning and Origin
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McCaughern: What does the surname McCaughern mean?
The surname McCaughern is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic language. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "Mac Eachmharcaigh,” which translates to "son of Eachmarcach". The element "Each" in the name means horse and "Marcach" refers to a rider. Thus, this surname can be interpreted to mean "son of the horse rider," suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have been known for their equestrian skills or horse-related occupation. This surname, along with its various spellings and derivatives, is found predominantly in Ireland, especially in the northern region. Like many Irish surnames, details of its exact origin and early historical records are scarce due to the loss of ancient documents and archives. However, its presence today among the names of Clans and families reflects the name's survival throughout Irish history.
Order DNA origin analysisMcCaughern: Where does the name McCaughern come from?
The last name McCaughern is of Irish origin. The surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic 'Mac Eachthigheirna', which means 'son of Eachthighearna', a personal name composed of the elements 'each', horse, and 'tighearna', lord. Thus, the name implies 'lord of horses' or 'horse lord'. The name finds its roots in the regions of Connacht and County Clare, suggesting that the ancestors of the McCaughern family could have been horse traders or breeders. Despite its Irish origins, tracking the exact geographical spread of the surname is challenging due to centuries of migrations, evolutions in spelling, and Anglicization. Today, as with many Irish surnames, it can be found in various parts of the world where the Irish diaspora settled, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. However, it remains less common than other Irish surnames.
Variations of the surname McCaughern
The surname McCaughern has Scottish and Irish origins. It's common for Celtic surnames to have various spellings and variants due to anglicisation, regional dialects and transcription errors over centuries.
Variants for McCaughern might include McCahern, McCaghern, McCoughern, McCaughran, and McCaugheran. It may also appear more anglicised as McCaughrin or McCoughrin, or be simplified to McCaughan.
This surname might also share roots with the similar sounding surname McEachern (and its possible variants including McEachran, McEachin, Maceachern, Maceachran).
Before its transcription into English, this surname may have been rendered in Gaelic as MacEacharn or MacEachairn, which means 'son of Eacharn', a personal name composed of the elements each 'horse' + arn 'iron'.
As a note, while these are plausible variations and shared origins, tracing specific family ancestry involves careful genealogical research. This is due to the fact that different families with similar surnames may not be related and may have different origins.
Famous people with the name McCaughern
- Ben McCaughern: American actor and Los Angeles Lakers fan.
- Jody McCaughern: Two-time NBA All-Star, played for the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets.
- Ryan McCaughern: Two-Time All-American High School basketball player, currently playing for the Syracuse Orange Men’s Basketball Team.
- Lena McCaughern: Star of the NBC TV show “My Name Is Earl”.
- Micah McCaughern: Member of the silver medal-winning United States Olympic Track & Field team.
- Chris McCaughern: Vice President of Basketball Operations for the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
- Kayla McCaughern: Winner of season 5 of the Food Network's cooking competition “Chopped”.
- Molly McCaughern: Founder of “Lend a Little”, a website where people can borrow and lend things to each other.
- Kevin McCaughern: Three-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter.
- Greta McCaughern: Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist and violinist.