The Irish and Scottish surname Mangan is  an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic name O Mongain, meaning “ son of the one with the long hair.” Three branches of this sept existed in ancient Ireland. The Ulster sept which gave its name to the parish of Termonomongan in County Tyrone is no longer numerous. The Munster Mangans, orginally belonging to Counties Cork and Tipperary, now have a wider distribution in County Limerick. The territory of the third sept lay in North Connacht where the name was phonetically Anglicized as Mongan, and this branch still spell the name as Mongan today. The form Manges is exclusively found in Scotland. James Clarence Mangan (1803 - 1849), born in Shanagolden, County Limerick, was a poet of renown and contributer to the 'Nation' and 'United Irishman' journals. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Mangan, (the name borne by twelve families), which was dated 1665, “The Hearth Money Rolls for County Tipperary.”