Where Does the O'Kelleher Surname Come From?

The last name O'Kelleher is a variant form of Kelleher, a well-known Irish family name. The name is generally explained as “Descendant of Céileachair ("companion dear")”. O'Kelleher simply joins the particle O' to Kelleher, a pattern common in Irish naming. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists.

Other spellings include Kelliher and Keleher.

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Kelleher surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. Want more than a summary? See the O'Kelleher family name pack.