| ![Show Contents]() Calligan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland Before Irish names were translated into English, Calligan 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 Calligan is a patronymic name. 1 Early Origins of the Calligan familyThe surname Calligan was first found in Munster. The earliest mention of the name Calligan 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 Calligan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calligan 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 Calligan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Calligan Spelling VariationsThe general population of Ireland, like those of Europe and Britain during the Middle Ages, scribes recorded people's names as they saw fit. As a result, surnames often had many spelling variations. For Calligan some of these variations 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 Calligan familyAnother 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Calligan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Calligan migration to the United States | + |
The 18th and 19th centuries saw many Irish families immigrate to North America in search of land and opportunities. The largest influx of Irish immigrants to the United States and British North America came during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine laid waste to their homeland. Hundreds of thousands left the island in an attempt to escape the starvation and disease it brought. Although the arrival of such a large number of destitute Irish was not welcomed by the established population in the United States and what would become known as Canada at the time, these Irish were an essential element to the rapid development of these growing industrial nations. They filled the demand for the cheap labor needed for the work in factories and in the construction of bridges, roads, canals, and railways. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many immigrants bearing the name of Calligan or one of its variants:
Calligan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Maurice Calligan, who arrived in South Carolina in 1808 3
- Arthur Calligan, who landed in New York in 1840 3
- P Calligan, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
- W Calligan, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
- John Calligan, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1854 3
| Calligan migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Calligan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mrs. Bridget Calligan, (b. 1806), aged 30, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life for coining, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, 2 children one on board with her 4
- Mr. Calligan, (b. 1829), aged 7 years 6 months, English settler traveling with his convict mother Mrs. Bridget Calligan, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
- Mr. Francis Calligan, (b. 1820), aged 20, Irish labourer from Dublin who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years for forgery, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
| Contemporary Notables of the name Calligan (post 1700) | + |
- Kathleen Calligan, American CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Nashville Branch
- Mike Calligan, American sculptor, his work is featured at Frank Lloyd Wright's designed Melvyn Maxwell Smith and Sara Stein Smith House
- 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)
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
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Calligan migration to the United States 
Calligan migration to Australia 
