Re: Gallager/Gallagher
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In reply to:
Re: Gallager/Gallagher
Shirley Cormack 3/19/05
There are a range of spellings for "Gallagher", but they all stem from the original "O'Gallchobhair". I can't understand why anyone would have trouble spelling THAT. The original Gallchobhair lived about 950 AD in what is roughly County Donegal now. Even today, Gallagher or variations is the most common surname in Donegal. If you Google "Gallchobhair" you'll find lots of history of the name and family.
Name spelling variations are rampant amongst the Irish immigrants, since most of them were illiterate. My one g-g-grandmother couldn't spell her own name in any fashion, and I've found six variants that are pretty different - all for the same woman: Kanalley, Connely, Connelly, Knady, Knary, Kinnally. It makes tracing the first immigrants a real challenge.