Holighan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Early Origins of the Holighan family

Early History of the Holighan family

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

Holighan Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Holighan that are preserved in archival documents are Holohan, O'Holohan, Mulholland, Highland, Hoolohan, Houlihan, Hooligan, Whelton, Oulihan, Oulahen, Whoolahan and many more.

Early Notables of the Holighan family

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

Migration of the Holighan family

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Holighan to North America: Daniel, David, John, Michael, Patrick and Owen Hollahan and David and Michael Mulholand, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.