Eagan
An Irish surname usually treated as a variant of Egan, ultimately from a Gaelic personal name meaning “small fiery one” or similar.
The #6,190 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,851 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Eagan is generally understood as an Anglicized spelling related to Irish Egan, itself from Gaelic personal-name forms such as Ó hÉigeáin or Egan-type diminutives. The older Gaelic element behind it is usually linked with a word for “fire” or “fiery,” though 19th-century sources often differed on the exact derivation. In practice, Eagan is best treated as a spelling variant of the broader Egan/Hagan family rather than as a wholly separate surname.
History
The surname appears in Irish and Irish-American records in several spellings, including Egan, Eagan, Hagan, and related forms. The excerpts provided place Eagan among these variant forms in Irish surname lists, which supports its use as a regional spelling rather than a distinct independent surname. In the United States it has survived as a less common but stable Irish-origin surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Many Irish surnames that look quite different in English turn out to be spelling cousins of the same Gaelic name, and Eagan is one of them.
From the historical record
“1770. — Henry Lcgitt and Catherine Eagan : St. Geo. Han. Sq. i. loS. London, o, 8, 16^ x, a, o: MDB. (co. Lincoln^ o, x, s, », x, o; New York, 3, 36, o, o, o, 6.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)