Gavigan

For the village in Iran, see Gavigan, Iran.

Etymology

From County Mayo, Ireland, a local Irish chieftain called "Gabhadhan", the old Gaelic might have been something like, when the grammatical séimhiú is represented by the letter "h", "Ó Gáibhtheacháin".^[1]^[2] This might be translated to signify "the Anxious One".
From "Mag Eachagáin" (son of Eachagán, in turn a diminutive of the personal name Eachadh).^[1]^[2]
From the southern O'Neill or (as written in Irish) Uí Néill clan of Geoghegan,^[3] "Gabhachan" from north Leinster and Ulster, cattle grazers on pasture lands. "Gabha" might signify or mean a blacksmith.

The motto upon the Gavigan family coat of arms may be translated to mean Always ready to serve my king and country.

Joseph A. Gavagan (1892–1968), American politician
Martin Gavigan, Irish former Gaelic footballer
Michelle Gavagan (born 1990), environmentalist and beauty queen from the Philippines
Peter Gavigan (1897–1977), Scottish footballer
Annette McGavigan (1957–1971), casualty of the Troubles
Ruth McGavigan (born 1976), Scottish mountain biker
Jim Gaffigan (born 1966), American comedian

^ ^a ^b Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter (17 November 2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. p. 1026. ISBN 9780192527479.
^ ^a ^b Hanks, Patrick (8 May 2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. p. 23. ISBN 9780199771691.
^ MacLysaght, Edward (19 April 1985). The Surnames of Ireland. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 9781911024644.