Etymograph

English

Halligan

Halligan comes from Irish Ó hÁilleagáin ‘descendant of Áilleagán’, from áille ‘beauty’, and ultimately from Old Irish áilde.

  1. Old Irishc. 600–900áilde
  2. Irishc. 1200–presentáille‘beauty’
  3. Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentÓ hÁilleagáin‘descendant of Áilleagán’double diminutive of áille
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2025Halligan

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Old Irishc. 600–900áilde
  2. Irishc. 1200–presentáille‘beauty’
  3. Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentÓ hÁilleagáin‘descendant of Áilleagán’double diminutive of áille
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2025Halligan

Earliest quotation: 2025, Kristen Holmes, Lindsey Halligan fires more prosecutors in key US attorney’s: “President Donald Trump’s hand-picked interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan…”

The story

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó hÁilleagáin (‘descendant of Áilleagán’), a double diminutive of áille (‘beauty’).

Every English word from Old Irish áilde

Today it means

name A surname from Irish.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old Irish áilde / Halligan

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