This ancient surname is of Irish origin and is a modern variant spelling of Magauran, itself an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "MagShamhr(adh)ain", the patronymic (son of) from the personal name "Samhradhain", which is a diminutive of "samhradh", meaning summer. The eponymous ancestor was "Samhradhan", circa 1100, who was descended from "Eochaidh" who gave his name to the territory of the Magaurans of MacGoverns, the "Teallach Eochaidh", now Tullyhaw, in North West Cavan. There is a village called Ballymagauran in that area which was burned by Maguire in 1481. The leading families of the sept were allied in marriage to the Maguire's, O' Rourkes and other powerful families, and are mentioned in the Annals during the 13th and 16th Centuries. The "Book of the Magurans" is a famous Old Gaelic manuscript. Amongst the recordings in London is the marriage of Mary Magovern and Luke Daly on August 13th 1806, at the Church of St. Mary le Strand, Westminster, and in Ireland, the christening was recorded of Bernard Magovern on June 2nd 1865 at Ballyconnell, Cavan. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Edmund Magauran, which was dated 1588 - 1595, Archbishop of Co. Armagh, Ireland, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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