Boy's name

Ceallachán

“KAL-a-khawn”

a diminutive of Ceallach

Callaghan

Source: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923) ↗

The story behind the name

Woulfe records two saints of the name in the Martyrology of Donegal, and a celebrated tenth-century king of Munster whose descendants, the MacCarthys and the O'Callaghans, still carried the name in his day.

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Ceallachán?

Ceallachán is pronounced “KAL-a-khawn”. Irish has three main dialect groups (Ulster, Connacht and Munster) and many names are said differently in each. The respellings here give the pronunciation most commonly heard in Irish English; where a well-known variant exists, both are shown.

What does the name Ceallachán mean?

Ceallachán means a diminutive of Ceallach.

Is Ceallachán a boy's or a girl's name?

Ceallachán is traditionally a boy's name in Ireland.

How else is Ceallachán spelled?

Other spellings and equivalents include Callaghan. Irish names were written down by English-speaking clerks for centuries, which is why so many spellings survive for one name.

Related names

Ceallach Cearbhall

Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z