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Callahan History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Callahan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Callahan

What does the name Callahan mean?

Before Irish names were translated into English, Callahan had a Gaelic form of Ó Ceallachain, possibly from "ceallach", which means "strife". The family is descended from Ceallachan (Callaghan), the 10th century King of Munster from whom their surname is derived, and as such, the name Callahan is a patronymic name. 1

Early Origins of the Callahan family

The surname Callahan was first found in Munster. The earliest mention of the name Callahan placed them in the barony of Kinlea, in County Cork, yet the family lost most of their original lands in the barony of Kinelea during the Anglo-Norman Conquest under Strongbow. They relocated to an area near Mallow, in the north of the county, and remained there until forced off their lands once again during the Cromwellian Invasion of the 17th century.

The head family migrated to the east of County Clare and flourished, giving their name to the village of Callaghan's Mills. The resumption of the often-discarded prefix "O" has been widespread during the late twentieth century, but in the early twentieth century, Callaghans greatly outnumbered O'Callaghans, but such is no longer the case. The O'Callaghans are one of the few Irish families to still have a chief, certified by the Genealogical Office. 2

Early History of the Callahan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Callahan research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1605, 1640, 1654, 1738, 1797, 1807, 1839, 1883 and 1909 are included under the topic Early Callahan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Callahan Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Callahan were found in the many archives researched. These included Callaghan, Callahan, O'Callaghan, O'Callahan, Calahan, Cellaghan, Kalahan, Kallaghan, Kallahan, O'Kallaghan, Kellaghan, Kelleghan, Kellahan, Kelahan, Ceilahan, Ceilaghan, Callachan, Calachan, Callagan, Calagan, Kelagan, Callighan and many more.

Early Notables of the Callahan family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Callahan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Callahan Ranking

In the United States, the name Callahan is the 621^st most popular surname with an estimated 47,253 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Callahan is ranked the 390^th most popular surname with an estimated 120 people with that name. 4

Callahan migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Callahan:

Callahan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Charles Callahan, who landed in Virginia in 1637 5
Darby Callahan, who landed in Maryland in 1680 5
Dennis Callahan, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 5

Callahan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Conner Callahan, who landed in Virginia in 1714 5
John Callahan, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 5

Callahan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Callahan, who arrived in New York in 1825 5
Peter Callahan, aged 30, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1835 5
Jeremiah Callahan, who arrived in Mississippi in 1838 5
Neil Callahan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 5
Patrick Callahan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Callahan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Thomas J Callahan, who arrived in Mississippi in 1901 5

Callahan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Callahan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Nicholas Callahan U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 6

Callahan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Callahan, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1827
Henry Callahan, aged 40, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Gregory Callahan, aged 16, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Mary Callahan, aged 35, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
James Callahan, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Callahan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Callahan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Jeremiah Callahan, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Kate Callahan, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Navarino" 8
Daniel Callahan, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Surge" 9
Michael Callahan, aged 17, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Surge" 9
John Callahan, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Surge" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Callahan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Callahan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Ellen Callahan, (b. 1841), aged 22, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Callahan (post 1700) +

Herbert Leon "Sonny" Callahan (1932-2021), American businessman and politician from Alabama, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama (1985-2003)
Dick Callahan (1940-2021), American public address announcer for the Oakland Athletics from 2005 until 2019
John Kevin Callahan (1953-2020), American actor, best known for his work as Edmund Grey on the daytime soap opera All My Children
Consuelo María "Connie" Callahan (b. 1950), U.S. federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Bill Callahan (b. 1966), American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Dennis Callahan (1941-2012), American politician from Annapolis, Maryland
Laura Callahan, the former senior director at the United States Department of Homeland Security
Robert V. "Bob" Callahan (b. 1937), American-born, Canadian politician in Ontario
Ryan Callahan (b. 1985), American NHL ice hockey forward from Rochester, NY, captain of the New York Rangers
William E. "Bill" Callahan (b. 1956), American offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Callahan family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. James Callahan (1889-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 11

Pemberton Mill

Mr. Peter Callahan, factory worker in the Pemberton Mill on 10th January 1860 when the mill collapsed trapping 900 workers as rescue attempts continued into the night, an oil lantern was knocked over further engulfing the trapped workers in fire, he died

RMS Titanic

Mr. James Callahan (d. 1912), aged 31, American Able Officer from Pittsfield, Massachusetts who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 12

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Navarino.htm
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SURGE 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/surge1852.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html