Where the Hogan surname comes from, how the Hogans of Ardcrony are related to Brian Boru, the separate west Cork Hogans, and which DNA test answers the question.
The Hogans (Ó hÓgáin, “descendant of Ógán”, from óg meaning young) are a Dál gCais family whose founder was a close relative of Brian Boru, usually named as his uncle. The chiefs were seated at Ardcrony, about 6 km north of Nenagh in County Tipperary. Today Hogan is one of Ireland’s 100 most common surnames and is concentrated in north Munster.
Hogan at a glance
- Irish form: Ó hÓgáin
- Meaning: descendant of Ógán, “young one”
- Seat: Ardcrony, north of Nenagh, County Tipperary
- Kindred: Dál gCais, from Brian Boru’s uncle
- Found today: mainly Tipperary, Clare, Limerick and Cork
Origin of the name
John Grenham notes that the original Ógán lived in the 10th century and was an uncle of Brian Boru. The older genealogies differ on the details: Patrick Woulfe traces the family to Coscrach, an uncle of Brian, while other accounts name Brian’s grandfather Lorcán’s line. Either way, the Hogans branch off Brian’s family tree a generation before him, which makes them his cousins rather than his descendants.
The Hogans of Ardcrony
The O’Hogans were chiefs of Críoch Cian in Lower Ormond, around Ardcrony and Ballyhogan in north Tipperary. Part of O’Hogan’s castle survives at Ardcrony, on the road from Nenagh to Borrisokane. Their neighbours were the Kennedys, another Dalcassian family that moved east across the Shannon into Ormond.
The family backed King James II in the Williamite war of 1689 to 1691 and supplied officers to several Jacobite regiments, and they lost much of their land in the confiscations that followed. The best-known Hogan in Irish history is probably the sculptor John Hogan (1800 to 1858), whose work stands in churches and public buildings in Dublin and Cork.
Two unrelated Hogan families
Woulfe records a second Ó hÓgáin family in Corca Laoighdhe, in the south-west of County Cork, with no connection to the Dál gCais. Hogan can also be an anglicised form of the unrelated Ó hEochagáin. If your Hogans come from west Cork, don’t assume a link to Brian Boru until DNA confirms it.
Hogan DNA
Hogan is one of the surnames that clusters strongly in R-L226 (Irish Type III), the Y-DNA signature of the Dál gCais. A Y-37 test from Family Tree DNA will show whether your paternal line fits the pattern, and Big Y-700 can separate an Ardcrony Hogan from a west Cork Hogan with confidence. An autosomal test such as AncestryDNA helps with the paper trail and living cousins. Our DNA guide explains how to read the results.
Hogan places to visit
- Ardcrony: the castle remains, north of Nenagh. Private land, so view from the road.
- Nenagh: the market town at the centre of Ormond, with a 13th-century castle keep.
- Lough Derg’s eastern shore: Dromineer and Garrykennedy harbours are 15 minutes from Nenagh, and you can explore them by hiring a cruiser on Lough Derg.
- Killaloe: Brian Boru’s royal centre, 20 minutes south. Plan it with our Brian Boru trail.
Related Dál gCais surnames
See the Kennedys, MacNamaras, O’Gradys, McGraths, MacMahons and Caseys, or browse all Brian Boru kindred surnames.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Hogans related to Brian Boru?
Yes. The Dalcassian Hogans descend from a close relative of Brian, usually named as his uncle, so they are cousins of his line rather than descendants.
Where is the Hogan family from?
North Tipperary, around Ardcrony near Nenagh. A separate, unrelated Hogan family came from west Cork.
What does the name Hogan mean?
It comes from Ó hÓgáin, “descendant of Ógán”, a diminutive of óg, meaning young.
Sources
- John Grenham, Hogan surname history, Irish Ancestors.
- Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames: Ó hÓgáin (1923).
- Clare County Library, Hogan, O’Hogan, Ó hÓgáin.