The o'callaghan Surname
o'callaghan Name Meaning and History
Irish: from 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
Learn the meaning and history of your first name
Share this page with friends and family
Search for o'callaghan records
Start your FREE family tree. Who will you discover?
A family tree is the easiest way to start discovering your family history. To begin, just enter whatever you know and we'll use that to try and find more information for you.
Begin your family tree with your name:
The o'callaghan name in History
A unique volume of fascinating facts, statistics and commentary following the o'callaghan family name as far back in history as possible.
Member Connections
- Anonymously contact one of the Ancestry members researching the o'callaghan last name.
- Search for Ancestry members researching one of your specific ancestors.
- Create or update your own Ancestry member profile so that other members can anonymously contact you.
More Tools and Resources
- Search Ancestry.com for all of your o'callaghan ancestors.
- Create and publish your own family history book using Ancestry Press.
- Learn more about your family history using DNA Ancestry.
- Learn more about family history in the Ancestry Learning Center.
- Visit the Ancestry.com homepage.