NameCensus.

UK surname

Callighan

In the 1881 census there were 283 people recorded with the Callighan surname, ranking it #10,119 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 105, ranked #30,114, down from #10,119 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Govan Combination and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wyre, Calderdale and North Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Callighan is 283 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 62.9%.

1881 census count

283

Ranked #10,119

Modern count

105

2016, ranked #30,114

Peak year

1881

283 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Callighan had 283 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,119 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016, ranked #30,114.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 283 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Callighan surname distribution map

The map shows where the Callighan surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Callighan surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Callighan over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 79 #19,712
1861 historical 88 #22,554
1881 historical 283 #10,119
1891 historical 240 #13,123
1901 historical 280 #12,193
1911 historical 109 #21,611
1997 modern 80 #29,554
1998 modern 81 #29,849
1999 modern 87 #29,398
2000 modern 95 #28,441
2001 modern 95 #28,101
2002 modern 97 #28,383
2003 modern 93 #28,829
2004 modern 92 #29,197
2005 modern 104 #27,369
2006 modern 101 #28,125
2007 modern 100 #28,669
2008 modern 96 #29,654
2009 modern 100 #29,597
2010 modern 105 #29,453
2011 modern 105 #29,287
2012 modern 107 #29,017
2013 modern 105 #29,916
2014 modern 110 #29,294
2015 modern 106 #29,895
2016 modern 105 #30,114

Geography

Back to top

Where Callighans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Govan Combination, Gateshead, Manchester and Dean. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wyre, Calderdale and North Tyneside. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Dean Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wyre 001 Wyre
2 Wyre 005 Wyre
3 Calderdale 017 Calderdale
4 North Tyneside 006 North Tyneside
5 Wyre 003 Wyre

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Callighan

These lists show first names that appear often with the Callighan surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Callighan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Callighan, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Callighan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Callighan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Callighan is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Callighan is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Callighan falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Callighan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Callighan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Callighan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Callighan surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 86 Callighans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.70x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 86 2.70x
Yorkshire 56 2.11x
Northumberland 17 4.26x
Durham 14 1.75x
Staffordshire 13 1.44x
Derbyshire 11 2.62x
Middlesex 11 0.41x
Angus 10 4.02x
Lanarkshire 10 1.15x
Shropshire 9 3.88x
Monmouthshire 8 4.13x
Renfrewshire 6 2.89x
Dunbartonshire 4 5.55x
Glamorgan 4 0.86x
Midlothian 4 1.11x
Warwickshire 3 0.44x
Kent 2 0.22x
Norfolk 2 0.48x
Cheshire 1 0.17x
Hampshire 1 0.18x
Peeblesshire 1 7.92x
Surrey 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 22 Callighans recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.66x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 22 14.66x
Manchester 19 13.27x
Farnworth 16 83.90x
Liff Benvie 10 26.51x
Linthorpe 9 56.75x
Liverpool 9 4.66x
Wellington 9 69.12x
Aberystruth 8 46.81x
Glossop Dale 8 40.67x
Govan 8 3.73x
Midgley 8 282.69x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 8 152.38x
Acomb 7 721.65x
Kearsley 7 104.48x
Gateshead 6 10.04x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 6.25x
Abbey 5 15.76x
Barrow In Furness 5 11.55x
Little Bolton 5 12.22x
Openshaw 5 33.53x
Warley 5 65.10x
Wolstanton 5 18.18x
Aberdare 4 12.48x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 4 11.57x
Holy Trinity 4 6.26x
Old Kilpatrick 4 46.95x
Oldham 4 3.89x
Sheffield 4 4.73x
Whitechapel London 4 15.13x
Birmingham 3 1.33x
Measham 3 194.81x
St Botolph Aldgate London 3 54.35x
Willington 3 65.08x
Windle 3 16.75x
Bold 2 253.16x
Droylsden 2 19.27x
Edinburgh Old 2 91.74x
Habergham Eaves 2 6.88x
Hunstanton 2 143.88x
Limehouse London 2 6.79x
West Calder 2 28.25x
Wolverhampton 2 2.87x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 1 10.36x
Bermondsey 1 1.25x
Chadderton 1 6.43x
Crumpsall 1 13.33x
Elland Cum Greetland 1 8.35x
Everton 1 0.99x
Fulham London 1 2.57x
Fulwood 1 29.07x
Gillingham 1 5.30x
Glasgow 1 0.65x
Hammersmith London 1 1.51x
Huddersfield 1 2.58x
Jesmond 1 17.79x
Kilbucho 1 526.32x
Maryhill 1 5.89x
Medomsley 1 26.88x
Middle Greenock 1 17.64x
Normanby In 1 14.06x
Pemberton 1 7.88x
Portsea 1 0.93x
Salford 1 1.07x
Stockport Etchells 1 79.37x
Toxteth Park 1 0.93x
Wallsend 1 7.90x
Woolwich 1 2.96x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Callighan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Callighan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 26
James 19
Thomas 15
Michael 9
Patrick 6
Peter 5
Joseph 4
Daniel 3
Edward 3
Thos. 3
William 3
Andrew 2
Anthony 2
Arthur 2
Bernard 2
Charles 2
Francis 2
Timothy 2
Alfred 1
Austin 1
Barnard 1
Barnerd 1
Barnett 1
Cornelius 1
George 1
Henry 1
Jane 1
Martin 1
Michal 1
Patsy 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Roger 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Callighan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Callighan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 283 people were recorded with the Callighan surname. That placed it at #10,119 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Callighan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016. That gives Callighan a modern rank of #30,114.

What does the Callighan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Callighan bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.