Mac Eacháin (surname)
Encyclopedia
Mac Eacháin is an Irish language
surname
. It is the patronymic
form of the personal name
Eachán. The personal name
Eachán is diminutive
of the personal name Eachaidh, which is derived from each, meaning "horse
". Anglicised forms of the surname include: Gahan
; McCaughan
; MacGaffin, and McGaffin
; MacGahan, and McGahan
.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
. It is the patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
form of the personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
Eachán. The personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
Eachán is diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
of the personal name Eachaidh, which is derived from each, meaning "horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
". Anglicised forms of the surname include: Gahan
Gahan (surname)
Gahan is a surname with several different origins. One origin of the surname is from a reduced form of McGahan, which is in turn an Anglicised form of the Irish language Mac Eacháin, meaning "son of Eachán". Another origin of the name, in Leinster, is from a reduced form of the Irish language Ó...
; McCaughan
McCaughan
McCaughan is a surname of Northern Irish origin. It is an Anglicised form of the Irish language Mac Eacháin, meaning "son of Eachán". The personal name Eachán is diminutive of the personal name Eachaidh, which is derived from each, meaning "horse".-People:*Charles McCaughan - American - actor and...
; MacGaffin, and McGaffin
McGaffin (surname)
MacGaffin and McGaffin are Northern Irish surnames. They are Anglicisations of the Irish language Mac Eacháin, meaning "son of Eachán". The personal name Eachán is a diminutive of the personal name Eachaidh, which is based upon the Gaelic each, meaning "horse"....
; MacGahan, and McGahan
McGahan (surname)
MacGahan, and McGahan, are of Northern Irish surnames. They are Anglicised forms of the Irish language Mac Eacháin, meaning "son of Eachán"...
.