This is an almost exclusively Munster surname. The 66 birth registrations for 1890 were all for that province, 40 were in Co. Cork and 21 in Co. Kerry. 1864 figures are show 86 Horgan births registered that year all except two (Dublin and Clonmel) were in counties Cork and Kerry. There is 4 Ballyhorgans in Co. Kerry, all in the barony of Clanmaurice, and the 1901 census records 142 families of Horgan there. Most notable person of the name, Rev. Mathew Horgan (1777-1849), P.P. of his native parish of Whitechurch, Co. Cork, was a poet, Gaelic scholar and antiquary. The name occured sometimes outside the borders of the southern province, e.g. pardon of David O'Horegane, a kern of Leix in 1551. This is probably a misspelling of O'Horahan (or O'Hourihan) since a sept so called was located at Dunamase, Co. Leix. This name is Ó hanradáin in Irish, better known in Thomond where it is anglicized O'Hanrahan. The Gaelic form of the name, Ó hArgáin, is said to be a corruption of Ó hAnradáin, which is the name of the erenagh family of Ross, Co. Cork, anglicized Hourihane there and Hourigan in Co. Limerick. Synonyms of Horgan used in Munster are Harrigan (Listowel) Horrigan (Kenmare and Mallow) and Organ (Cashel).