Show ContentsKellog History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Kellog

What does the name Kellog mean?

In the ancient Scottish-English border region, the ancestors of the name Kellog lived among the Boernician clans and families. They lived in Aberdeen (part of the modern Grampian region.)

They may have been descended from Bishop and Saint Cellach (6th century) of Killala in the county of Mayo, the eldest son of Eogan Bél, fourth Christian king of Connaught. 1 Another source presumes the name originated with "Chelioc, or Kulliag (Cornish British), a cock, coileach, in Gaelic, and ceiliog, in Welsh, the C having the sound of K. " 2

Early Origins of the Kellog family

The surname Kellog was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland. More recently, leading seamen in the Commonwealth Navies addressed as "leader", and informally known as "kellicks" from the killick anchor which is the symbol of their rank.

Early History of the Kellog family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kellog research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1372 is included under the topic Early Kellog History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kellog Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. Kellog has been spelled Kellogg, Kellock, Kelloch, Kellog, Kellogh, MacKelloch, MacKellock and many more.

Early Notables of the Kellog family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • Kellogg of Maisterton

Migration of the Kellog family to Ireland

Some of the Kellog family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Kellog migration to the United States +

Many of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Kellog or a variant listed above:

Kellog Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William and Silas Kellog, who arrived in New York in 1820
  • Levi M Kellog, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1849 3
  • C G Kellog, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Kellog (post 1700) +

  • Sarah E. Kellog, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1928 4


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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