Show ContentsHallihan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Hallihan surname originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hAilechain or Ó hAileagain.

Early Origins of the Hallihan family

The surname Hallihan was first found in County Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Hallihan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hallihan research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hallihan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hallihan Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Hallihan family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Halligan, Holligan, Hollegan, Hologhan, Hallihan and many more.

Early Notables of the Hallihan family

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


United States Hallihan 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 Hallihan or a variant listed above:

Hallihan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Hallihan, who landed in New York in 1824 [1]
  • Dennis Hallihan, who landed in America in 1851 [1]
  • Edmund Hallihan, who arrived in Illinois in 1856-1864 [1]


  1. 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)


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