Mcguigan Family History

Of all the Irish surnames, none has more variations of spelling than this one. In the most recent census it is said that there are only about fifteen hundred nameholders, who between them have over twenty different ways of spelling the name! This would not be so bad if there could be an consensus of agreement on what the name actually means, but there isnt. Many Irish or Gaelic names are patronymic, and this is one of them, and it is probable that the suffix Giugan is a nickname, and probably a development of a Norse-Viking personal name such as 'Uig'.