Eógan Explained

Irish: Éogan is an early Irish male given name, which also has the hypocoristic and diminutive forms Irish: Eoganán, Irish: Eóghainin, Irish: Eóghain and Irish: Eóghainn. The Modern Irish form of the name is Irish: Eoghan (pronounced as /ga/).

In Scottish Gaelic the name is Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Eòghann or Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Eòghan. All of the above are often anglicised as Ewen or, less often, Owen. The name in both Goidelic languages is generally considered a derivative of the Greek and Latin name [[Eugene (given name)|Eugenes]], meaning "noble born".[1]

Etymology

The Latin: Corpus Inscriptionum Insularum Celticarum derives Eógan from the Primitive Irish *Iwagenas,[2] while others such as Irish: Tomás Ua Concheanainn (Irish: Mion-chomhradh, in 1903) have stated that Irish: Eóghan equates to Welsh: Owain and Eugene;[1] Dr Rachel Bromwich has commented that Irish: Eoghan is a derivation of the Latin Latin: Eugenius,[3] making these names long-attested in Gaelic areas, yet still based on loan-words.[4] Morgan notes that there are less likely alternative explanations and agrees with Dr Rachel Bromwich that Welsh Welsh: Owein “is normally latinized as Eugenius," and "both the Welsh and Irish forms are Latin derivatives".[4]

Eoghan has also been translated into English as "well born", in an example c. 1923, due to this Latin derivation; but with the note that in common usage it is usually anglicised to "Eugene". The name corresponds to the Welsh Welsh: [[Owain]], often spelt Welsh: [[Owen (name)|Owen]] in English;[1] [4] as well to Ewen, Ewan and Euan. The most likely and widely accepted origin of the Old Welsh Owain is, like the Old Irish Irish, Old (to 900);: Eogan also from Latin Latin: Eugenius.[1]

List of people

Celtic nobility

Recent times

See also

Notes and References

  1. Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912), reprinted for Clearfield Company, INC by Genealogical Publishing Co. INC, Baltimore 1995, 1996. Cormic gives this origin for Eogan (one MS, Eogen); and Zimmer considers Owen to be borrowed from Latin Latin: Eugens, as noted by MacBain, p. 400. The mediaeval Latinization of Owen as Latin: Oenus led to a belief that the etymology was the Welsh and Breton Welsh: oen, "lamb". With much stronger reason it was at one time considered that the name represented Irish Irish: eoghunn = Gael. Irish: Ogan- [f. Old Irish {{lang|sga|oc-}} Welsh {{lang|cy|og}}, young], ‘youth’. Surnames of the United Kingdom cites Tomás Ua Concheanainn, Irish: Mion-Chomhrádh (p. 126), that "Irish: Eóghan is a diminutive of Irish: Eóghainin, = Owain, Eugene"
  2. Macalister, R. A. S. Latin: Corpus Inscriptionum Insularum Celticarum Vol. I. (1945) Dublin: Stationery Office
  3. As cited by T.J. Morgan in Welsh Surnames, page 172
  4. Morgan, T.J. and Morgan, Prys, Welsh Surnames, University of Wales, 1985, Owain (Owen, Bowen, Ednowain). According to T.J. Morgan in Welsh Surnames (page 172/173) Owen is a derivation of the Latin Latin: Eugenis > Old Welsh Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein ... 'variously written in Middle Welsh as Ewein, Owein, Ywein. LL gives the names Euguen, Iguein, Yuein, Ouein. The corresponding form in Irish is Irish: Eoghan. Additionally, another Latinized variation of the name Owen is Latin: Audoenus in certain parish registers.”

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