Gallagher Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Gallagher Family History

Gallagher Family History

The ancient origin of the name Gallagher was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Gallagher include Gallacher, Gollagher and Gallaher. This name is derived from the Gaelic ó'Gallchobhair that means 'foreign helper' and was possibly acquired in the three centuries when the families were marshals in the armies of the O'Donnells. When Gaelic names were anglicized during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries they were often changed to Anglo equivalents that sounded most like their original Gaelic name. They were descendants of the King of Ireland who reigned from 642-654. The Gallaghers claim to be the senior family of the Cineal Connaill, the Royal family of Connall Gulban, son of the great fourth century King 'Niall of the Nine Hostages'. Their territory extended over a wide area of Raphoe and Tirhugh in County Donegal. The national records show them to have been intimately connected with ecclesiastical rather than with military services. The name Gallacher is a Scottish variant of Gallagher found in both Ulster and Scotland.The Gallagher family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Gallagher descendants.