Back in 1830 in Ireland, the surname Gavaghan was also spelled Gavican, Gaviken, Gavihan, Gavikan, etc. Much confusion has arisen among genealogists because of the various ways of spelling the same name, which resulted from the iliteracy rate in Ireland at the time. Few could read and write anyway, so no one questioned spelling practices. Therefore, I finally discovered that my gr-gfr., who was Robert Gavagan here in the U.S. in 1850, was actually from the Gavaghan/Gavican/Gaviken family back in County Roscommon that he'd left in 1847. His parents were listed as Elizabeth Beirn Thomas GAVAGHAN on Robert's baptismal certificate, but spelled in the various other ways on the birth cetificates of their previous children. Therefore, if you have a problem with one spelling of an Irish surname, be sure and try related spellings before giving up.