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VAUGHN Family History

This ancient and honourable Welsh surname has its origins in a nickname or byname given originally to distinguish between a father and son who had the same name, as in the recording of one Guyn Vaghan ap Guyn in 1325; Gwyn the younger son of Gwyn. The name derives from the Welsh "fychan", a mutation of "bychan", itself a diminutive of "bach", meaning small, little. This is also found as the modern Welsh surname "Baugh", from "bach", used as a nickname for a small or short man. The similarity of the "f" and "v" sounds often resulted in variant forms of the same name when written by non-Welsh speaking scribes.