The Gallagher surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 69,834 people carried this name — #479 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,220 people counted. That is up 3% from 68,075 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gallagher surname

A surname from Irish; variant forms Gallager, Gallaher, Galleher, Galligher, Galliher, Gollaher, Golliher.

From Irish Ó Gallachóir, from Old Irish Ó Gallchobhair, Ó Gallchobhoir, a surname meaning "descendants of Gallchobair".

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gallagher» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 488 births for the Gallagher name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 21,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 17 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 295
Connacht 144
Leinster 28
Munster 21

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 163 people named Gallagher live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Formosa.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Formosa 56
Santa Fe 41
Buenos Aires Province 34
City of Buenos Aires 19
Salta 13

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

80 people named Gallagher live in Switzerland.

They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 26
Vaud 16
Basel-Landschaft 12
Geneva 10
Bern 4
Basel-Stadt 4
Fribourg 4
Zug 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Poland’s population register

28 people named Gallagher have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 96 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Łódź.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Łódź 8
Silesian 7
Lesser Poland 4
West Pomeranian 3
Pomeranian 2
Holy Cross 2
Greater Poland 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Gallagher.

Most of them — 19 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 19
Bouches-du-Rhône 1
Bas-Rhin 1
Paris 1
Var 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

78 people named Gallagher are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 55
Finland (2026) 23

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland’s registers today

Gallagher was recorded 186 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 112th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 237. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Gallagher in American newspapers,
1869–1906.

Newspaper page from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser carrying the name Gallagher
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser 1894-05-04
Newspaper page from Public Ledger carrying the name Gallagher
Public Ledger 1869-08-19
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Gallagher
The Salt Lake Herald 1906-11-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 329,866 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gallagher in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

110,315 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gallagher. The most, 20,818, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 47,991
Queensland 32,029
Victoria 15,957
Western Australia 6,766
South Australia 3,499
ACT (Canberra) 2,100
Tasmania 1,714
Northern Territory 83

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gallagher.

Who carried it

People named Gallagher,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Colm Gallagher d. 1957 · politician
  • Mike Gallagher d. 1984 · association football player
  • Helen Gallagher d. 1943 · restaurateur
  • Katherine Gallagher d. 1949
  • Daniel David Gallagher d. 1946
  • James Gallagher 1681–1751 · Catholic bishop

Wikidata (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gallagher,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States21,736 records

21,736 records of the Gallagher name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 7,491
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 5,765
  • Other U.S. records 8,480
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Daniel Patrick Gallagher

    Born 1948; from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Eleanor M. Gallagher

    Born 1896 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1944 in the Women's Army Corps at Tuscon, Arizona; clerk. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1995, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Gallagher

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Queenstown, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 21,736 records for Gallagher in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,893 records

2,893 records of the Gallagher name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,087
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 669
  • Other Australian records 1,137
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Michael Gallagher

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emily, sailing from Dublin in 1844. Native of Mayo. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Bernard Gallagher

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Ratcliffe, sailing from London in 1845. Native of Sligo. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edward Gallagher

    Died 1874 in Bothwell, Tasmania, aged 80. Will registered in Tasmania in 1874.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,893 records for Gallagher in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada402 records

402 records of the Gallagher name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 264
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 49
  • Other Canadian records 89
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catharine Gallagher

    Came to Ontario in 1866 aboard the Alert, landing at Quebec, bound for Kingston, Ontario.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Eleanor Gallagher

    Buried in 1988 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 81.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Henry Gallagher

    Died 1947 in Annapolis Royal, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 402 records for Gallagher in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom99 records

99 records of the Gallagher name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 62
  • Stirling Council burial records 33
  • Other British records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Robertson Gallagher

    Buried in 1976 at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 61.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert Gallagher

    Will proved in 1939; of St. Asaph, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Gallagher

    Buried in 1813 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 60.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 99 records for Gallagher in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand85 records

85 records of the Gallagher name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 74
  • Timaru and Mackenzie District cemetery records 5
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Marjorie May Gallagher

    Born 1900, died 1978; buried at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Gallagher

    Died 1926, aged 62; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Gallagher

    Buried in 1949 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 85.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 85 records for Gallagher in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland28 records

28 records of the Gallagher name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Gallagher

    Died 1937, aged 69; buried at Derrybrien, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maria Gallagher

    Died 1923, aged 75; buried at Killoran, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 28 records for Gallagher in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Belgium11 records

11 records of the Gallagher name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maria Gallagher

    Died 1904 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Gallagher

    Married in 1912 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 11 records for Gallagher in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Gallagher name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Thomas Gallagher

    Married in 1843 in Almelo; engine driver.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Anne Gallagher

    Died 1912 in Maastricht, aged 68.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Gallagher in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France6 records

6 records of the Gallagher name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maureen Gallagher

    Born 1928 in the United Kingdom; died 1992 in Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Côte-d'Or).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 6 records for Gallagher in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gallagher.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gallagher is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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