Houlihan
An Irish surname, usually from Gaelic Ó hUallacháin, meaning a descendant of a person called Uallachán.
The #8,365 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,005 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Houlihan is generally understood as an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó hUallacháin. The prefix Ó means “descendant of,” while the personal name Uallachán is usually taken from a root meaning proud, spirited, or boastful. The surname therefore points back to an ancestral byname rather than a trade or place-name.
History
The name is strongly associated with Ireland, especially Munster and parts of Connacht in historical surname surveys. Older sources record several spelling forms, including O'Houlihan, Hoolihan, Holohan, and related variants, reflecting uneven Anglicization of the Irish original. Like many Irish surnames, it became fixed in English spelling in different ways in different districts and records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname lists often group Houlihan with several nearby Irish forms, showing how easily Gaelic names shifted in English clerical records.
From the historical record
“O hUAllACAin, O'Houlihan, Houlihan, Hoolihan, Holo- han ; Wholihane, Wholihan ; Holland ; Nolan, etc. O hUAllAij, Howley.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames