Hillion History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. Hillion originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hUallachain, which is derived from the word "uallach," which means "proud." 1

Early Origins of the Hillion family

The surname Hillion was first found in Thomond (Irish: Tuadh Mumhan), literally North Thomond, the pre-Norman Kingdom of Thomond, since divided between counties Limerick, Tipperary and Clare, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Hillion family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hillion research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hillion History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillion Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Hillion are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Holohan, O'Holohan, Mulholland, Highland, Hoolohan, Houlihan, Hooligan, Whelton, Oulihan, Oulahen, Whoolahan and many more.

Early Notables of the Hillion family

More information is included under the topic Early Hillion Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillion Ranking

In France, the name Hillion is the 6,505^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Hillion migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Hillion or a variant listed above:

Hillion Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hugh Hillion, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 3

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)