The callahan Surname
callahan Name Meaning and History
Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceallacháin
‘descendant of Ceallachán’, a diminutive of the personal
name Ceallach, possibly meaning ‘lover of churches’, from
ceall ‘church’, or (more likely) ‘bright-headed’, from
cen ‘head’ + lach ‘light’. This name was borne by a
10th-century king of Munster, from whom many present-day bearers of
the surname claim descent.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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