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Gallivan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Gallivan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Irish surnames have had their original forms altered in many ways. Before being translated into English, Gallivan appeared as Ó Gealbhain, derived from the words "geal," which means "bright," and "ban," which means "white." 1

Early Origins of the Gallivan family

The surname Gallivan was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they are a sept of Thomond. 2

More recently, the family is very numerous in Kerry where it is more often spelt Gallivan. 2

Early History of the Gallivan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gallivan research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1317, 1826, 1831, 1860, 1864, 1888, 1891 and 1904 are included under the topic Early Gallivan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gallivan Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname Gallivan exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Galvin, Gallivan, O'Galvin and others.

Early Notables of the Gallivan family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Dan Leno (1860-1904) stage name of George Wild Galvin, the famous English comedian. He was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor, best known for his music hall act and for his roles in the annual pantomimes that...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gallivan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gallivan migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Gallivan:

Gallivan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bridget Gallivan, who landed in New York State in 1811
Bridget Gallivan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
Michael Gallivan, who landed in New York in 1844 3

Gallivan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gallivan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Gallivan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
Mr. Denis Gallivan, aged 14 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Virgilia" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 4
Mr. Donald Gallivan, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 4
Mr. Edward Gallivan, aged 45 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lord Sandon" departing 11th July 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but he died on board 5
Mr. James Gallivan, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sir Henry Pottinger" departing 29th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 7th August 1847 but he died on board 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gallivan migration to Australia +

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

Gallivan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Gallivan, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Gallivan 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:

Gallivan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Bridget Gallivan, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 7
Miss Honora Gallivan, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 7
Julia Gallivan, aged 16, a dairy maid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
Patrick Gallivan, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878
Michael Gallivan, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gallivan (post 1700) +

Philip Joseph Gallivan (1907-1969), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
Brian Gallivan, American actor, writer and comedian
James Ambrose Gallivan, United States Representative from Massachusetts
Patrick M. Gallivan (b. 1960), member of the New York State Senate
Joe Gallivan (b. 1937), American jazz and avant-garde musician
John W. Gallivan (b. 1915), American newspaper publisher, cable television pioneer, and civic leader
Jonathan Gallivan, Canadian Toronto-based producer, musician, and multi-media developer
Craig Gallivan, British actor
Danny Gallivan (1917-1993), Canadian radio and television broadcaster and sportscaster

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 29)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 77)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html