NameCensus.

UK surname

Culligan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Cuillighín" meaning "descendant of the holly man".

In the 1881 census there were 36 people recorded with the Culligan surname, ranking it #28,559 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 196, ranked #19,848, up from #28,559 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Basildon, Coventry and Camden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Culligan is 235 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 444.4%.

1881 census count

36

Ranked #28,559

Modern count

196

2016, ranked #19,848

Peak year

2011

235 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Culligan had 36 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,559 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016, ranked #19,848.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 67 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Culligan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Culligan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Culligan 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 24 #29,038
1861 historical 56 #26,864
1881 historical 36 #28,559
1891 historical 55 #29,744
1901 historical 51 #28,492
1911 historical 67 #26,152
1997 modern 218 #16,704
1998 modern 223 #16,936
1999 modern 226 #16,884
2000 modern 232 #16,562
2001 modern 222 #16,806
2002 modern 227 #16,877
2003 modern 231 #16,504
2004 modern 223 #16,965
2005 modern 231 #16,529
2006 modern 223 #17,036
2007 modern 229 #16,941
2008 modern 221 #17,495
2009 modern 226 #17,587
2010 modern 226 #17,942
2011 modern 235 #17,328
2012 modern 208 #18,720
2013 modern 207 #19,093
2014 modern 206 #19,318
2015 modern 203 #19,381
2016 modern 196 #19,848

Geography

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Where Culligans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Basildon, Coventry, Camden, Blackburn with Darwen and Milton Keynes. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Basildon 009 Basildon
2 Coventry 032 Coventry
3 Camden 012 Camden
4 Blackburn with Darwen 009 Blackburn with Darwen
5 Milton Keynes 015 Milton Keynes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Culligan

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Culligan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Culligan, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Culligan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Culligan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Culligan is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Culligan is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Culligan falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Culligan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Culligan

The surname Culligan originates from Ireland. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name O'Cuileagain, which means "descendant of Cuileagan". Cuileagan is a diminutive form of the word "cuile", meaning "fly". The name likely originated as a nickname for an individual who was considered annoying or bothersome, similar to a fly.

The earliest known recorded instance of the name dates back to the 16th century. In 1591, a document from County Cork mentioned a James O'Cuileagain. The name was also found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle written in the early 17th century, mentioning a Tuathal O'Cuileagain who was a member of the Clan O'Driscoll.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name was anglicized to various spellings, such as Cullinan, Culligan, and Cullinane. One notable individual from this period was John Cullinane (1753-1828), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively about the history of County Cork.

In the 19th century, the surname Culligan began to appear more frequently in records. John Culligan (1823-1895) was an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Culligan Water Treatment Company in the United States. Another notable figure was Patrick Culligan (1842-1914), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament for Kilkenny City.

Other notable individuals with the surname Culligan include:

1. Mathew Culligan (1865-1935), an Irish-American prelate who served as Bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts. 2. Joseph Culligan (1905-1980), an American businessman who served as the CEO of the Culligan Water Treatment Company. 3. Gert Culligan (1939-2016), an American actress best known for her role in the television series "The Waltons". 4. Colum Culligan (born 1985), an Irish professional golfer who has competed on the European Tour. 5. James Culligan (1936-2019), an Irish-American lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

The Culligan surname continues to be predominantly found in Ireland, particularly in County Cork and County Kerry, as well as among Irish diaspora communities around the world.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Culligan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Culligan 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 14 Culligans recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.36x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 14 3.36x
Lanarkshire 12 10.57x
Cheshire 6 7.74x
Angus 2 6.15x
Cornwall 1 2.52x
Hampshire 1 1.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Everton in Lancashire leads with 7 Culligans recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.71x.

Place Total Index
Everton 7 52.71x
Glasgow 7 34.71x
Sale 6 631.58x
Liverpool 5 19.76x
Old Monkland 4 88.69x
Lochee 2 689.66x
Barony 1 3.48x
Farnborough 1 131.58x
Madron Penzance 1 68.97x
Prescot 1 133.33x
West Derby 1 8.20x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Julia 2
Catherine 1
Margaret 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
Patrick 2
Charles 1
James 1
Michael 1
Robert 1
Simon 1
Stephen 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Culligan households.

FAQ

Culligan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Culligan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 36 people were recorded with the Culligan surname. That placed it at #28,559 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Culligan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016. That gives Culligan a modern rank of #19,848.

What does the Culligan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Cuillighín" meaning "descendant of the holly man".

What does the Culligan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Culligan 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.