While the Anglicized versions of Irish names are familiar to most people, all Irish names have a long and proud Gaelic heritage that is often unknown. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Colligan is "O Cuileagain."
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Early Origins of the O'Colligan family
The surname O'Colligan was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
Early History of the O'Colligan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Colligan research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Colligan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
O'Colligan Spelling Variations
The archives that survive today demonstrate the difficulty experienced by the scribes of this period in their attempts to record these names in writing. Spelling variations of the name O'Colligan dating from that time include Culligan, Colligan, Quilligan, O'Quilligan, O'Culligan, O'Colligan, Coligan, Culigan, Colgan and many more.
Early Notables of the O'Colligan family
More information is included under the topic Early O'Colligan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the O'Colligan family
Thousands of Irish left in their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries to escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, and in the search of a plot of land to call their own. These immigrants arrived at the eastern shores of North America, early on settling and breaking the land, and, later, building the bridges, canals, and railroads essential to the emerging nations of United States and Canada. Many others would toil for low wages in the dangerous factories of the day. Although there had been a steady migration of Irish to North America over these years, the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name O'Colligan or a variant listed above: Arthur, Bernard, and Thomas Colligan, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1640 to 1670; as well as John, Pat and Simon Culligan, who arrived in Quebec in 1839..
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
