KELLOCK
Kellock is a surname of Scottish origin, rooted in Gaelic linguistic heritage. The name is traditionally regarded as a patronymic, deriving from the Gaelic MacGillechallum which translates as son of the servant of St. Columba. This etymology implies a lineage connected to an ancestor who served or was associated with St. Columba, a central figure in early Scottish Christianity.
Historical records reveal that the surname appeared in various spellings, including Kellock, Kellough, Kelloch, Killock and the Irish variant Killough, the latter widely documented in Ulster. The earliest extant use of the name dates to the mid‑fourteenth century. A notable instance is that of Robert de Kellok recorded in the Exchequer Rolls for Scotland in 1343, during the reign of David II. Further examples include Anna de Keloche of Stirling in 1372, and David Kellocht, a deed witness at Fife in 1495. The spelling Kellock first appears in the Inventory of Pitfirrane writs of 1567, where a transaction involving Giles Kellock is documented. Alexander Kellock is noted as a burgess of Dunfermline in 1581.
The surname is linked to multiple potential origins within Scotland. One theory cites a locational derivation from Keiloch, a place in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, where the Gaelic coilleog meaning a grave or wood could describe a person who dwelt nearby. Another hypothesis connects the name to the lands of Killoch in Ayrshire. A third possibility posits an Old English origin, with pre‑seventeenth‑century roots in the words kyll hogge, suggesting a description of a hunter of wild hogs. Scholar accounts also note a potential Old Norse link, combining kelda (spring) and hólar (hill) to connote a “spring on a hill,” a topographic detail corresponding with the family's ancestral homeland in Fife and Kinross. Similarly, an Old English composite of cylli (watercourse) and oc (oak) has been proposed, meaning “the oak tree by the stream,” associated with the Kellock burn in Fife.
Variations of the surname have evolved in response to regional accents and orthographic practices. Common alternatives include Kellog, Kellogg, Kelloggs, and the spelling Kellocke. In some instances the double letter ll may be simplified, and vowel shifts result in forms such as Kellack or Kelluck. These variants illustrate the broader pattern of Scottish surnames incorporating double consonants and vowel alternations.
In contemporary times, the name Kellock remains primarily concentrated within Scotland and the United Kingdom, while a modest diaspora exists in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The surname is not highly frequent, reflecting the comparatively small scale of the Scottish population, yet it persists as a marker of Gaelic heritage and historical continuity.
Heraldic records for the surname occasionally feature coats of arms depicting three mullets, a symbol often associated with enlightenment or the celestial sphere. Different Kellock families have adopted varying motifs, indicating the multiplicity of lineages sharing the surname.
Typical given names associated with the Kellock surname
Male
- Alastair
- Andrew
- David
- George
- James
- Jamie
- John
- Lloyd
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Alison
- Anne
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Janet
- Jennifer
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Kellock in...
Braille
⠅⠑⠇⠇⠕⠉⠅
Morse
-.-..-...-..----.-.-.-
Semaphore
There are approximately 643 people named Kellock in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around ten in a million people in Britain are named Kellock.
Famous people named Kellock
- Alastair Kellock - Scottish rugby union player
- Billy Kellock - Football player
- Fiona Kellock - Former swimmer
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.