385 Global Geelan Family Members

Geelan Family History

This is a rare Irish surname. It is in fact so rare that the famous dictionary of surnames for Ireland barely mentions it at all. Its rareness is perhaps not surprising given that the name probably means 'The hostage'. The origination is from the ancient pre 10th century Gaelic word 'giall' of which the usual meaning is hostage, although it is difficult to conceive of circumstances where a hostage would be the leader or chief of a clan. However in this respect it is often said that all Irish surnames are effectively nicknames, most of which refer to some particular physical aspect of the original chief.