- The disambiguation page Gallagher provides a list of people with this surname.
Gallagher is a common surname derived from the Irish name Ó Gallchobhair. There are at least 30 recorded variants including Gallacher, Gallaher, Gallaugher and Goligher. It is the most common surname in County Donegal and the fourteenth most common by birth records in Ireland. In the United States, it was ranked by the 2000 U.S. Census as the 574th most common name out of over 80,000 surnames found. The family hails from the barony of Tir Hugh near Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland. The Gallagher coat of arms displays a spectacular lion rampant,stepping on a violently green snake surrounded by eight trefoils. The Gaelic meaning of the surname Gallagher is "Foreign Help" or "Foreign Helper". The name can be traced back to 5th century High King/Warlord "Niall Noigíallach" or Niall of the Nine Hostages.
