About us
The names Kilgannon, Kilgallen, and Kilcullen originate from the Connacht region of Ireland- Counties Galway, Mayo, and Sligo.
Kilgallen and Kilcullen have the same origin- both are from Mac Giolla Chaillín in Irish, meaning devotee of St. Caillín. In the book Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght, it is noted that the name Kilgallen used in County Mayo became the name Kilcullen in County Sligo; however, both names are in wide use in County Sligo.
Kilgallen and Kilcullen have the same origin- both are from Mac Giolla Chaillín in Irish, meaning devotee of St. Caillín. In the book Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght, it is noted that the name Kilgallen used in County Mayo became the name Kilcullen in County Sligo; however, both names are in wide use in County Sligo.
The name Kilgannon comes from a different Irish origin- a translation of Mac Giolla Ghannain, meaning a devotee of Gannan. (It is unknown who Gannan was.) However, records in Ireland used the names Kilgallen and Kilgannon almost interchangeably.
In Ireland, records may use the spellings Kilgallon for Kilgallen or Kilcollen for Kilcullen.
After immigration, Kilgannon could become Gilgannon, Killgannon, or Gillgannon, or they would drop a syllable and become Gannon or just Gill. Kilgallen similarly became Killgallon or Gilgallon or Gillgallon.
The project administrator, Abbie Brown, is a genealogist and librarian based in Missouri, USA. She descends from a Kilgannon line that became Gillgannon after immigration to the USA. In order to find her Kilgannon family roots, she began a project to identify various Kilgannon family lines in Ireland and after immigration. This project has expanded to include Kilgallen and Kilcullen names as well.