Fagan Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Fagan Family History

Fagan Family History

The Fagan ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Fagan include Fegan and Fagen. This name is usually of Norman origin and is derived from the Latin word 'paganus'. It was brought to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasion in the twelfth century and is now considered very Irish. An early record of the name occured in the year 1200 when a William Fagan was the owner of extensive property in the city of Dublin with this family becoming firmly established in neighbouring Counties in the following decades. A branch of this family was also recorded in Counties Kerry and Cork, where a Christopher Fagan took refuge in 1497. From the Kerry branch were descended the Fagans who distinguished themselves in the service of France in the eighteenth century, and were ennobled in that country. The Gaelic O'Faodhagin sept of County Louth changed their name to Fegan as well as Fagan.The Fagan family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Fagan descendants.