GALLAGHER
Gallagher is an Irish surname that belongs to the Celtic family of names borne in the British Isles. It originates from Gaelic, and its bearers have historically been associated with Christian communities across Ireland.
The name is derived from the medieval Gaelic personal byname Gallchobhair. In this composition the first element gall translates as “foreigner” or “stranger”, while the second element cobhar means “help” or “aid”. Consequently, the surname can be interpreted as “descendant of the foreign helper” or “descendant of the stranger who aids”. The prefix Ó denotes “male descendant of”, so the original patronymic is Ó Gallchobhair.
Over the centuries the surname has appeared in a number of orthographic variants, including Galagher, Gallagher and Gallaher, as well as a less common dialectal form, Callacher. The earliest recorded spelling is that of Teag Ó Gallchobhair dated to 1350 in the Ancient Records of Tirconnell, Donegal.
Historically the O Gallaghers were a clan situated in County Donegal. They belonged to the Cineal Connaill, the line of descendants from Connall Gulban, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, a fourth‑century king of Ireland. The clan’s name may have been adopted in the fourteenth century, when their chiefs served as marshals in the military forces of the O Donnells, who controlled Donegal. This role suggests that the family could have been originally foreign mercenaries, although this association is documented only in later tradition.
Measuring the contemporary distribution, the surname Gallagher ranks as the fourteenth most common name in Ireland. It is largely concentrated in the provinces of Ulster and North Connacht. Several historical ecclesiastics bore the name, most notably the Right Reverend Redmond Ó Gallagher (1521 – 1601), bishop of Derry, who was martyred for the aid he rendered to survivors of the Spanish Armada.
The usage of the surname has spread beyond Ireland, with substantial communities of Gallagher bearing names found in Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia. In all contexts the name retains its original Gaelic roots and its historical associations with the Irish heritage of the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Gallagher surname
Male
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
- Thomas
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Gallaher
- Galagher
- Galaher
- Galaghar
- Galager
- Galaugher
- Galegher
- Gallagar
- Gallager
- Gallaghar
- Gallagor
- Gallaker
- Gallangher
- Gallaughar
- Gallaugher
- Galleaher
- Galleghar
- Gallegher
- Gallgher
- Galligher
- Galllagher
- Gallogher
- Gallugher
- Gollagher
- Galagar
- Galaker
- Galer
- Galigher
- Gallachar
- Gallacher
- Gallacker
- Gallagh
- Gallagner
- Gallahar
- Gallapher
- Gallary
- Gallasher
- Gallear
- Galleger
- Galleher
- Galler
- Galleri
- Gallery
- Gallier
- Galliher
- Gallinger
- Gallyer
- Golagher
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Gallagher in...
Braille
⠛⠁⠇⠇⠁⠛⠓⠑⠗
Morse
--..-.-...-...---.......-.
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Gallagher are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Viennese swirl.
There are approximately 29,732 people named Gallagher in the UK. That makes it the 271st most common surname in Britain. Around 457 in a million people in Britain are named Gallagher.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Gallagher
- Liam Gallagher - Musician and songwriter
- Noel Gallagher - Singer, songwriter and guitarist
- Conor Gallagher - Football player
- Paul Gallagher - Scottish football player
- John Gallagher Jr. - Award-winning American actor and musician
- Peter Gallagher - American actor
- Sam Gallagher - Football player, born 1995
- Sean Gallagher - Actor
- Frank Gallagher - Actor
- Benny Gallagher - Musician, singer-songwriter
- Paul Gallagher - Roman Catholic archbishop
- Declan Gallagher - Football player
- Stephen Gallagher - Writer
- Paul Gallagher - Northern Irish professional wrestler
- Bernard Gallagher - Actor (1929 to 2016)
- Mick Gallagher - Musician
- Katy Gallagher - 6th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
- Julian Gallagher - Musician
- Dan Gallagher - Football player
- Matt Gallagher - Rugby union football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.