Kilgallon last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Kilgallon is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kilgallon.

Meaning of Kilgallon

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Coillgheallóg" meaning someone living by the bright wood.

Kilgallon, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kilgallon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kilgallon in America

Kilgallon is the 47272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kilgallon surname appeared 449 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kilgallon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kilgallon to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank4727249249-4.10%
Count44940111.29%
Proportion per 100k0.150.150.00%

The history of the last name Kilgallon

The surname Kilgallon has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic words "cill" meaning church and "gallóglach" meaning a foreign soldier or mercenary. The name likely originated in Connacht, a western province of Ireland, where many of these hired soldiers or mercenaries settled.

In medieval times, the Kilgallons were part of the gallowglass, a class of elite mercenary warriors who were often employed by Irish clan chiefs and Anglo-Norman lords. The earliest recorded mention of the name Kilgallon can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the 14th century.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Rory Kilgallon, a gallowglass leader who served under the O'Donnell clan in the late 15th century. He was known for his military prowess and played a significant role in the clan's conflicts with neighboring clans.

Another prominent figure was Felim Kilgallon, who lived in the 16th century and was a member of the gallowglass troops serving under the O'Neill clan. He is mentioned in historical records for his participation in the Nine Years' War against English forces in Ireland.

In the 17th century, the Kilgallon surname appears in various records, including the Petty Census of Ireland, which documented landowners and their holdings. One notable entry is that of Edmond Kilgallon, who held lands in County Sligo.

Later, in the 18th century, John Kilgallon, a Catholic landowner from County Mayo, found himself embroiled in legal disputes over land ownership and inheritance rights, as documented in court records from that period.

As the centuries passed, the Kilgallon surname spread beyond its origins in Connacht, with bearers of the name appearing in various parts of Ireland and eventually migrating to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kilgallon

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kilgallon.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kilgallon was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only94.65%425
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.11%5
Hispanic Origin3.34%15

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kilgallon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White94.65%96.76%-2.20%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races1.11%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic3.34%2.24%39.43%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kilgallon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kilgallon, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.

Search
Search
Background shape