NameCensus.

UK surname

Kilgallen

An Irish surname derived from "Ó Cillghalláin" meaning "descendant of the bright-headed one."

In the 1881 census there were 13 people recorded with the Kilgallen surname, ranking it #31,761 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 128, ranked #26,401, up from #31,761 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Halifax and Durham St Oswald. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Birmingham and Lichfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kilgallen is 143 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 884.6%.

1881 census count

13

Ranked #31,761

Modern count

128

2016, ranked #26,401

Peak year

1999

143 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kilgallen had 13 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,761 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 128 in 2016, ranked #26,401.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 101 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Kilgallen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kilgallen surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kilgallen 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 1 #33,412
1861 historical 13 #32,208
1881 historical 13 #31,761
1891 historical 26 #32,189
1901 historical 47 #28,929
1911 historical 101 #22,589
1997 modern 133 #22,705
1998 modern 135 #23,118
1999 modern 143 #22,521
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 130 #23,457
2002 modern 131 #23,793
2003 modern 122 #24,628
2004 modern 124 #24,559
2005 modern 122 #24,817
2006 modern 118 #25,556
2007 modern 118 #25,913
2008 modern 128 #24,901
2009 modern 136 #24,485
2010 modern 131 #25,656
2011 modern 125 #26,220
2012 modern 123 #26,561
2013 modern 130 #26,074
2014 modern 127 #26,634
2015 modern 129 #26,226
2016 modern 128 #26,401

Geography

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Where Kilgallens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Halifax, Durham St Oswald, Cannock and Tardebigg. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Birmingham, Lichfield and Peterborough. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Durham St Oswald Durham
4 Cannock Staffordshire
5 Tardebigg Worcestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 010 Rotherham
2 Birmingham 076 Birmingham
3 Lichfield 007 Lichfield
4 Rotherham 013 Rotherham
5 Peterborough 018 Peterborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kilgallen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kilgallen

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Kilgallen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kilgallen 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 predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Challenged Inner London Communities

Within London, Kilgallen is most associated with areas classed as Challenged Inner London Communities, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Resident in some of Inner London’s most over-crowded communities, many families have children and marriage/civil partnership rates are above the Supergroup average. Other adults such as students live in communal establishments. Few residents have Level 4 educational qualifications, levels of unemployment are above the Supergroup average, and employment is concentrated in service occupations such as distribution, hotels and restaurants. Relative to the Supergroup average, fewer residents identify as being of mixed/multiple ethnicities, Black or Other Asian.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kilgallen is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kilgallen 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 Kilgallen 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 Kilgallen, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kilgallen

The surname Kilgallen is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "cill" meaning "church" and "gallen" meaning "small glen" or "valley". It is believed to have originated in the 14th or 15th century in the Irish counties of Donegal, Sligo, and Leitrim.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be "Kilgallon" in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a particular church or religious settlement located in a small valley.

In the 16th century, variations of the name such as "Kilgallane" and "Kilgallan" can be found in various Irish records and manuscripts, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were administrative documents issued by the English government in Ireland.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Terence Kilgallen, a Catholic priest who lived in County Sligo in the late 16th century. He was known for his opposition to the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of Ireland.

Another notable figure with the surname Kilgallen was John Kilgallen, a Irish Catholic priest and writer who was born in County Mayo in 1745. He wrote several works on Irish history and culture, including "A Treatise on the Antiquities of the Irish Nation" published in 1787.

In the 19th century, the Kilgallen name was associated with the Irish nationalist movement. Michael Kilgallen (1823-1890) was a prominent Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, representing the constituency of Roscommon.

Dorothy Kilgallen (1913-1965) was a well-known American journalist and author, best known for her work as a columnist for the New York Journal-American and her appearances on the popular television game show "What's My Line?". She was also a noted crime reporter and covered high-profile cases such as the Sam Sheppard trial.

Thomas Kilgallen (1888-1962) was an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1957 to 1962.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kilgallen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kilgallen 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 11 Kilgallens recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.31x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 11 7.31x
Worcestershire 1 6.04x
Yorkshire 1 0.80x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury in Lancashire leads with 6 Kilgallens recorded in 1881 and an index of 348.84x.

Place Total Index
Bury 6 348.84x
Great Bolton 2 100.50x
Barton Upon Irwell 1 88.50x
Bromsgrove 1 178.57x
Clitheroe 1 227.27x
Ecclesfield 1 108.70x
Liverpool 1 10.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ellen 1
Sarah 1
Siscily 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2
Michael 2
Thomas 2
Edward 1
James 1
Martin 1
Patrick 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 Kilgallen households.

FAQ

Kilgallen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kilgallen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13 people were recorded with the Kilgallen surname. That placed it at #31,761 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kilgallen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 128 in 2016. That gives Kilgallen a modern rank of #26,401.

What does the Kilgallen surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from "Ó Cillghalláin" meaning "descendant of the bright-headed one."

What does the Kilgallen map show?

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