MacGuigan Surname

1,581,912th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 129 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Canada
Highest density in:
Ireland

MacGuigan Surname Definition:

The form MacGuiggin is now much more numerous than MacQuiggin, though the latter was the usual variant in the sixteenth century when the anglicization of Gaelic names became general for official purposes. As such it appears several times in the Fiants in Counties Fermanagh, Down and Armagh and once in Co.

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MacGuigan Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Canada641:575,71247,839
Ireland331:142,6956,688
United States271:13,424,405494,117
Northern Ireland11:1,845,03620,648
England11:55,718,059489,080
France11:66,422,722504,397
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States31:16,739,561595,711

MacGuigan Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

The form MacGuiggin is now much more numerous than MacQuiggin, though the latter was the usual variant in the sixteenth century when the anglicization of Gaelic names became general for official purposes. As such it appears several times in the Fiants in Counties Fermanagh, Down and Armagh and once in Co. Tyrone as O'Quiggin. It is, however, Mac Guaigín in modern Irish and is definitely not an O name. MacGoogan (also MacGookan) of Co. Antrim (MacGuagáin) is basically the same. According to Woulfe these are modern forms of Mag Eochaidhín (anglice also MacGookin, MacGuckian etc.) and Mag Eochagán respectively: as the latter is normally Geoghegan I am reluctant to endorse that statement.

True MacGuigan and Geoghegan have been reported as interchangeable in south Down, but that is no evidence of original identity. I think in fact that having regard to the extent to which names have been corrupted in the course of time and to their many variant spellings, it is now impossible to distinguish definitely between MacGuiggin, MacGuigan, MacGuckian and their numerous variants, * which are still to be found in considerable numbers in the Ulster counties mentioned above.

*In the section on Quigley in Irish Families (p. 249) no reference was made to an Ulster sept of the name. That in Inishowen should have been mentioned-in the “census” of 1659-60 O'Quigley is the fifth most numerous name in that barony.

Supplement to Irish Families (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Mac Uigin The following are the more usual of the many variant forms of this Co. Tyrone name: MacGoogan, MacGookin, MacGuckian, MacQuiggan, MacWiggin; some of these without the Mac, as Wigan, or with the Mac combined, as Maguigan. Fidgeon and Pidgeon are also used as synonyms of MacGuigan in Co.

Monaghan. MIF 131

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

The form MacGuiggin is now much more numerous than MacQuiggin, though the latter was the usual variant in the sixteenth century when the anglicization of Gaelic names became general for official purposes. As such it appears several times in the Fiants in Counties Fermanagh, Down and Armagh and once in Co. Tyrone as O'Quiggin. It is, however, Mac Guaigín in modern Irish and is definitely not an O name. MacGoogan (also MacGookan) of Co. Antrim (MacGuagáin) is basically the same. According to Woulfe these are modern forms of Mag Eochaidhín (anglice also MacGookin, MacGuckian etc.) and Mag Eochagán respectively: as the latter is normally Geoghegan I am reluctant to endorse that statement.

True MacGuigan and Geoghegan have been reported as interchangeable in south Down, but that is no evidence of original identity. I think in fact that having regard to the extent to which names have been corrupted in the course of time and to their many variant spellings, it is now impossible to distinguish definitely between MacGuiggin, MacGuigan, MacGuckian and their numerous variants, * which are still to be found in considerable numbers in the Ulster counties mentioned above.

*In the section on Quigley in Irish Families (p. 249) no reference was made to an Ulster sept of the name. That in Inishowen should have been mentioned-in the “census” of 1659-60 O'Quigley is the fifth most numerous name in that barony.

Supplement to Irish Families (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

MacGuigan Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacGuigan Come From? nationality or country of origin

MacGuigan occurs more in Canada more than any other country or territory. It may also appear in the variant forms:. Click here for further potential spellings of this name.

How Common Is The Last Name MacGuigan? popularity and diffusion

The last name is the 1,581,912th most frequent last name worldwide. It is borne by around 1 in 56,492,604 people. This last name occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 71 percent of MacGuigan are found; 71 percent are found in North America and 71 percent are found in Anglo-North America.

It is most commonly used in Canada, where it is held by 64 people, or 1 in 575,712. In Canada MacGuigan is most common in: Prince Edward Island, where 52 percent reside, Ontario, where 31 percent reside and British Columbia, where 11 percent reside. Aside from Canada MacGuigan exists in 7 countries. It is also found in Ireland, where 26 percent reside and The United States, where 21 percent reside.

MacGuigan Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of MacGuigan has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the MacGuigan surname grew 900 percent between 1880 and 2014.

MacGuigan Last Name Statistics demography

In The United States those holding the MacGuigan last name are 53.23% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 100% being registered with the political party.

The amount MacGuigan earn in different countries varies marginally. In United States they earn 7.59% less than the national average, earning $39,875 USD per year and in Canada they earn 11.59% less than the national average, earning $43,927 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Maguigan9467/
Makguigan892/
Magigan884/
Maiguigane845/
MacQuiggan840/
Magwigan821/
Maguigam821/
Moguigan820/
MacGiggon782/
Makuigang781/
Maigigane781/
McGegan758/
Magegan752/
Maghegan710/
Makuegang672/
Meyghighan631/
Moghigham561/

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacGuigan
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis