McGovern - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mag Shamhradháin
Meaning: “son of summer”
Traditional stronghold: Cavan
Pronunciation: mick-GUV-ern; Irish Mag Shamhradháin: mag HOW-ra-dawn
History of the McGovern name
McGovern is Mag Shamhradháin, from Samhradhán, a diminutive of samhradh, 'summer'. The sept ruled the barony of Tullyhaw in the mountainous northwest corner of County Cavan, where the village of Ballymagauran preserves an older anglicisation of the name, and their chiefs appear constantly in the annals of Breifne alongside the O'Rourkes and O'Reillys. Magauran and McGauran were the usual English spellings until the eighteenth century, when McGovern gradually prevailed. The name is still concentrated in Cavan, Leitrim and Fermanagh, and emigrant McGoverns achieved prominence in American politics and British television drama.
Variants: Magauran · McGauran · Magovern
Famous bearers of the name
- George McGovern - US senator of Irish descent and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee.
- Jimmy McGovern - BAFTA-winning Liverpool-Irish screenwriter of Cracker and Hillsborough.
- Barry McGovern - Dublin actor renowned worldwide for his interpretations of Beckett.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Brady · O'Reilly · McGowan · Smith · Clarke · McCabe · Dolan · Sheridan