Show ContentsGalliher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Galliher

What does the name Galliher mean?

The Irish name Galliher has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Galliher is Ó Gallchobhair, derived from the word "gallchobhar," which means "foreign help."

Early Origins of the Galliher family

The surname Galliher was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, but claim descent from a warrior named "Gallchobhar" and held lands in the baronies of Raphoe and Tir Hugh. They held a castle at Ballyshannon and at one time also held the castle of Lifford.

The Sept's chiefs were the traditional Marshals in the O'Donnells' military forces from the 14th to 16th centuries. The main branch of the family was based at Ballybeit and Ballynaglack.

Early History of the Galliher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Galliher research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1545, 1547, 1725 and 1751 are included under the topic Early Galliher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galliher Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Galliher can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations 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. The different spellings that were found include Gallagher, Gallacher, Gallaugher, Gallaughor, Gallager and many more.

Early Notables of the Galliher family

Notable among the family name at this time was Bishop Redmund O'Gallagher, The Diocese of Killala, who was imprisoned and banished from the diocese on fraudulent charges; Redmond O'Gallagher, who was appointed Bishop of Killala by Pope Paul III in 1545; and Art O'Gallagher, Papal...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Galliher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Galliher Ranking

In the United States, the name Galliher is the 16,538th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Galliher migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Galliher name:

Galliher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Galliher, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Galliher (post 1700) +

  • William Alfred Galliher (1860-1934), Canadian lawyer, judge and Liberal politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Yale-Cariboo, British Columbia (1900-1904)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook