Etymology

bogan

B3O1G2A1N1

Today it means: An unsophisticated person from a working class background. Full definition →

Irish Ó Bogáin
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bogan · noun, verb1

Unknown. First appeared in Australia in the 1980s. Possibly in reference to supposedly unsophisticated people from remote outback places such as the Bogan River or Bogan Gate (cf. dubbo from Dubbo).

bogan · noun2

Uncertain. Perhaps a contraction of pokelogan influenced by bog (or bogue), or a blend of logan (from pokelogan) + bog.

Bogan · proper noun3

Uncertain. Possibly from an Australian Aboriginal language.

Bogan · proper noun4

  1. Irish · derived fromÓ Bogáin“descendant of Bogán”
  2. English todayBogan

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Bogáin (“descendant of Bogán”), a personal name from a diminutive form of bog (“soft, tender”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.