What Is The Correct Spelling Of The Cragun Family Name?

View from Craigendarroch, Ballater

This is a view from Craigen, Darroch, Ballater by blackeastson on Flickr.

Craigen is one of the spellings that could have led to the common spelling now of Cragun.

Here are 5 different spellings of our name and some explanations of their origination. It's interesting.

1. Creggan. A town land in what once had been the Barony of Upper Fews, County Armagh, Ulster, Northern Ireland. It is here that proprietors settled Scottish and English prote stants on their estates to work the land. Through this area flows a small stream called Creeg an River. Creegan is also the name of a road in Derry, Londonderry County, Ulster.

2. Creagan. The name of a town land north of Oban, in Lorn, Argyll, Scotland. Here the name i s descriptive of the land: high and rocky.

3. Croghan. The name of a mountain (6,000 ft. high) west of the city of Arklow in County Wick low, Eire. The name is likely derived from the Gaelic word which is anglicized as croaghaun m eaning: a little pile of stones.

4. Cregan. A surname found throughout Ireland. One notable of that name is Martin Cregan of C ounty Meath, 1788-1870. He was portrait painter to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Francis Jo hnson, and was at one time president of the Royal Hibernian Academy.

5. Craigen. In 1272 the Church of Cragyn (now Cragie) in Kyle, Scotland was confirmed to the monks of Paisley by Thomas de Cragyn, who assumed his name from his land.

I wonder if one of these spellings is more romantic, authentic, or significant than Cragun, just wondering. With scenery like this I'm beginning to be fond of Craigen.

More about Craigendarroch from Royal Deeside Website, click here:

Ballater, scenic capital of Deeside, nestles, Alpine style, at the foot of Craigendarroch Hill in what must be one of the most beautiful settings in Scotland. Few can fail to be impressed by the magnificence of the scenery surrounding this quiet, unspoiled village.

Craigendarroch is a remnant of the ancient plateau surface which was deeply dissected by the glaciers of the last ice age. The name is derived from two Gaelic words - "Craig" for crag or hill and "darroch" meaning oak. The name is entirely appropriate for the hill is a time capsule harbouring one of the last stands of oak on Deeside. Before the influence of man and his need for agriculture, the oak was the dominant climax vegetation in this part of Deeside. Now only a few stands remain and Craigendarroch is one the finest examples. However, it is thought even these oaks were planted by man although, of course, the hill must at one time have supported a natural oak wood. The first recorded use of the name "Hill of the Oaks" was in the early 18th century, but oak trees are known to have been present on Craigendarroch for well over three hundred years.

The pattern of the present wood suggests that it has been planted and managed as a coppice. The cuttings were extensively used in the local leather tanning industry, but prior to that full grown trees were felled to provide timber which was used to build ships. Some were also used for pews in a church in Aberdeen.

The commercial exploitation of the wood ceased towards the end of the 19th century - most of the present trees are approximately 120 years old. Now the wood remains as the jewel in the botanical crown of the flora of Deeside. It is a reminder of things past, a place to be enjoyed from within and from afar, a haven for a myriad of flora and fauna, but above all, a safe and delightful walking place for all who come to Ballater.

These features have been recognised nationally, leading to the designation of Craigendarroch as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and all of Royal Deeside as a National Scenic Area.

To those doing research there are several new research postings on Patrick Cragun on http://cragunfamilyresearchblog.blogspot.com/

What Is The Correct Spelling of Your Name? Are You Sure?

Church of Cragyn (now Cragie)

In olden times people often spelled names as they sounded. This fact makes the genealogy research game more than a little difficult. What is your last name? Does it sound like it is spelled? If it is Jones couldn’t is sound like jonez? Or if it is Johnson could it sound like Jonsun? Here are some of the many ways my last name has been spelled:

Cragun, Craguner, Cragin, Cragan, Cragum, Cragon, Creggan, Creggon,

Creagan, Kraghen, Kragahen, Kragun, Kragan, Kragon,

Croghan, Craigan, Craigun, Craigon, & Craigen 

In some families one child ended up spelling their name different than their brothers or sisters. These problems make the genealogy - family history game very challenging.

So if I am searching on the internet to see if something comes up on my grandfather Patrick’s son Elisha which way do I spell his name? Do I try every spelling? I guess I do.

What can make it interesting is to discover what gave your family its last name. In our case it could have come from the name of a town where the family once lived known as Creagan, Scotland. Does that mean my family originally lived in Scotland? Perhaps we shall find that to be a fact one day. Or did they live near the Irish mountain of Croghan and get their name that way? Or are we related to the famous portrait painter in Ireland Martin Creghan?

In 1272 there was a Church of Cragyn in Scotland that was given to the monks of Paisley by Thomas de Cragyn. It is thought we assumed his name as we lived on his land. Isn’t his fun?

I’m thinking I like being named the same as the church and will spell my name Cragyn not Cragun. Wait, they have now changed that name to Cragie.

Can you tell how exciting it is to get something figured out by your investigation, that no one else has figured out.

The cool thing is that through modern technology such as blogs or FamilyTree allows you to share what you learn and can prove with all the world.