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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the Gall family. Their name comes from the Gaelic surname of Scottish origin, which means son of the battle chief.

Saint Gall (550?-645?), originally named Cellach or Caillech, was abbot and the apostle of the Suevi and the Alemanni, and appears to have been the son of Cethernach, an Irishman of noble lineage, of the sept of Hy-Cennsealach, his mother being, it is asserted, a queen of Hungary. 1

The MacGall variant was later derived from the Gaelic Mac goill, or Mac an ghoill, 'stranger's son,' 'Lowlander.' 2

The MacCall variant was from the Gaelic MacCathail, 'son of Cathal,' "the M'Calls of Guffokland were an old Nithsdale family. Robert M'Kawele, was Lord of Karsnelohe, c. 1370-1380." 2

Early Origins of the Gall family

The surname Gall was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

The Maccalls of Dumfriesshire were settled there as early as 1500, "and are said to be descended from the Macaulays. John M'Call is recorded in Cumbray, 1583 (Hunter, p. 31). Matthew McCall in Maybole, charged with reset of rebels in 1607, appears a few days later as McEall (RPC., XIV p. 507). Quintigern Makcall, bailie of Edinburgh, 1610." 2

Early History of the Gall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gall research. Another 215 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1629, 1684, 1686, 1688 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gall Spelling Variations

The medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. Gall has been recorded as MacAll, MacColl, MacCole, MacCall, MacAul, Mccall and others.

Early Notables of the Gall family

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

Gall Ranking

In the United States, the name Gall is the 4,938th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Gall is ranked the 3,836th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 4

Ireland Migration of the Gall family to Ireland

Some of the Gall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Gall migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Gall, or a variant listed above:

Gall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Edward Gall, who arrived in Virginia in 1715 5
  • Rosina Gall, who arrived in New York, NY in 1749 5
  • Johan Freiderich Gall, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 5
  • H Christoph Gall, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 5
  • Christopher Gall who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1753
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Gall, who settled in New York State with his family in 1820
  • Ludwig Gall, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1820 5
  • John Gall, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 5
  • Alois Dominie Gall, who immigrated to Pittsburgh in 1843
  • William Gall, who arrived in Maryland in 1844 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gall Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Peter Gall, who landed in America in 1900 5
  • Julianna Gall, aged 60, who arrived in America in 1900 5
  • Louisa Gall, aged 19, who landed in America in 1900 5
  • Christine Gall, aged 4, who landed in America in 1900 5
  • Edward Gall, aged 2, who landed in America in 1900 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Gall migration to Australia +

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

Gall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Gall, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indus" in 1839 6
  • Miss Elizabeth Gall, (Docherty) who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 4th September 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Charles Gall, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ramillies" in 1849 8
  • James Gall, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Louisa Baillie" in 1849 9
  • Georgiana Gall, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Pakenham" in 1849 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Gall 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:

Gall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Gall, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Euphemus" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th February 1857 11
  • A.T. Gall, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "John Scott" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 11
  • J. Gall, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 12
  • Mr. Robert Gall, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 12
  • John Gall, aged 25, a shepherd, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gall (post 1700) +

  • Romain Gall (b. 1995), American professional soccer player
  • Mickey Gall (b. 1992), American professional mixed martial artist
  • Greg Gall (b. 1965), American drummer, formerly with the death metal band, Six Feet Under
  • David Allen Gall (1941-2021), Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey, ranked fifth in lifetime wins by North American jockeys and who was the first jockey in the United States to ride eight winners on a single racecard
  • Joseph Grafton Gall (b. 1928), American Professor of Biology, Connecticut
  • John Gall, American author and retired pediatrician
  • Richard Gall (1776-1801), Scottish poet, the son of a notary, born at Linkhouse, near Dunbar, in December 1776 14
  • James Gall (1808-1895), Scottish clergyman
  • Ernest Gall (1863-1925), prolific commercial photographer in Adelaide, South Australia
  • Hugh Gall (1888-1938), Canadian football player
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Monongah Mine
  • Mr. Tony Gall (b. 1879), Italian coal miner who was in mine 6 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 15

Suggested Readings for the name Gall +

  • Genealogy, Gall and Nothstine Families, 1730-1964 by Agnes Nothstine.
  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. 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)
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) INDUS 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Indus.htm
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
  8. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAMILIES 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ramillies.htm
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The LOUISA BAILLIE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849LouisaBaillie.htm
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The PAKENHAM 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Pakenham.htm
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  15. Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).
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