Mongan (surname)

Mongan is an Irish surname anglicised. It derives from the ancient and possibly pre 10th century Gaelic Ó Mongáin ‘descendant of Mongan’. The latter was a nickname for the original chief of the clan, who presumably had a particularly luxurious or wild growth of hair. Many, perhaps the majority of Irish Gaelic surnames were nicknames for the original chief or leader, see Mongán mac Fiachnai this is a good example. The derivation is 'mong', meaning long-haired. Three branches of this clan originally existed in ancient Ireland. These were a sept in Ulster which gave its name to the parish of Termonomongan in County Tyrone, whilst the second was originally based upon Counties Cork and Tipperary, whilst the third sept lay in North Connacht. Space only allows for a few early recordings but these include Teag Managan, in the Hearth Tax rolls of 1665 for County Tipperary, and Patrick Mongan and Maria Flanagan, who were married Kilbride in County Roscommon in 1845. Surnames generally became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In some parts of the British Isles, this was known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Notable people include:

• Agnes Mongan (1905 - 1996), American art historian
• Joseph Mongan (1880 – 1951), Irish politician
• John C. Mongan, American politician
• Charles Mongan Warburton (1754–1826), Anglican bishop