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The original Gaelic form of Gillane was Ó Giollain, from the word "giolla," which means "lad." 1
The surname Gillane was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gillane research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gillane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Numerous spelling variations of the surname Gillane 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 Gillan, Gillinan, Gillen, Gillon, Gillfinan, Gillion and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Gillane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Gillane: